


If the Moon Loves You, Why Worry About the Stars? (Tsukishima Kei x Reader)

by full_hoon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 23,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25689226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/full_hoon/pseuds/full_hoon
Summary: In everyone’s eyes, She lives the perfect life. She has it all: the beauty, the brains, the money, the fame... However, when her father gets caught up in a scandal, she finds the reputation that she worked so hard to build up gets destroyed overnight. But as she struggles through the darkest times in her life, she finds a light that shines brightly — a light that makes her realise that happiness can be achieved even without materialistic goods, popularity and stardom.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Reader
Comments: 25
Kudos: 126





	1. Prologue

The ringing of the bell signalled the end of the school day. The pen that you were mindlessly doodling with halted as you finally turned your attention away from the cloudy skies of Tokyo and back to the front of the classroom, where the teacher was reminding students to complete the homework for tomorrow.

The teacher dismissed the class and exited the classroom. You arched your back and stretched yourself, releasing the tightness in your body from sitting in class all day. Meanwhile, your best friends crowded around you, their bags already packed and ready to leave anytime.

“[Y/N]-chan!” your best friend, Mei, called out excitedly. “It’s been so long since we last hung out after school! Let’s go out today!”

Rio nodded in agreement. “You were so busy with all the magazine photoshoots recently! We’ve missed you so much!”

Your other best friend, Aoi, joined in. “Exactly! Let’s go to The Lobby Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton for afternoon tea! I’ve been craving their cakes for days!”

You smiled, already rising from your seat as your friends continued to chatter about the traditional afternoon tea set at the luxury hotel. “Alright, it’ll be my treat!” you announced, the girls around you cheering loudly.

The four of you walked out of the classroom and down the corridor, students eagerly greeting you when you passed them. You responded to every single one of them with a ‘see you later’ and your signature smile — one that has featured on hundreds of magazine covers and photoshoots. Your friends giggled every time a student stared at you in awe.

“See ya, [Y/N]-san!” a particularly loud voice shouted across the corridor.

Your eyes searched the crowd and easily spotted the owner of the voice. It was easy to find him, with his grey hair and exceptionally tall frame. “See you later, Lev-kun!”

The interaction caused your friends to shake with laughter. “That guy’s a weird one, isn’t he?” Mei asked with tears in her eyes.

“He’s such a huge fan of our [Y/N]-chan that he comes off as a bit of a creep!” Aoi sneered.

“He’s kind of hot though, don’t you think? He’s the only half-Russians here!” Rio argued.

You shrugged. “He’s alright, I guess. A bit too loud and childish in my opinion.”

“Everyone is ‘alright’ to you except for Kuroo-senpai,” Mei teased, nudging you with her elbow.

You rolled your eyes at her comment. “I already told you nothing is going on between us.”

Rio smirked while Aoi pointed towards the entrance of the school gym, where Kuroo stood by the door as he yelled at Lev to hurry up. When he caught sight of you, he quickly straightened up before winking at you with a grin. You shyly waved at him in return before speeding up towards the school gates, your friends squealing in excitement after seeing the exchange between you and your upperclassman.

“Yeah yeah, there’s totally nothing going on between you two,” Mei teased.

You ignored your friends' remarks as the four of you headed towards the centre of the city, the friendly banter continuing on the way.

* * *

Your phone rang for the eleventh time in the past five minutes of tea time. You glanced at the contact name before declining the call once again. Mei, who sat next to you, noticed.

“Are you sure you don’t need to answer the call? It might be urgent,” she whispered, the two girls across you still engaged in their conversation.

You sighed. “I’m sure it’s nothing important.” As the last word left your lips, your mobile began to vibrate once again. You quickly excused yourself before stepping out of the lounge.

You answered the call. “H—”

“Where are you?” your mother asked before you could even greet her. You told her about your location. “Come home immediately.”

“I’m hanging out with my friends right now,” you said irritatedly.

“This is an order,” she snapped.

You bit your lip in annoyance, swallowing the swear words that were threatening to come out. “Why?”

“I’ll explain later.”

With a sigh, you agreed. Your mother — who was also your manager — has always been a strict woman. But it was rare for her to command you to do something, so you knew something was wrong.

She added, “take a taxi and come in through the back gate.”

Before you could even ask why, she hung up the phone.

You returned to the table with disappointment evident on your face. Your friends gave you questioning looks. “What’s wrong?” Aoi asked with a mouth full of cake.

“My mother called. She wants me back home immediately,” you said. You apologised for having to leave in the middle of the meal, but your friends did not seem to mind. “I promise we’ll hang out again tomorrow,” you assured them. And with that, you bid farewell.

You stopped by the front desk before leaving the hotel, as you promised your friends that the meal was on you. However, you were surprised when the waitress told you your card was declined. You tried with five more different credit cards, but none of them worked.

Sending a quick apology message to the group chat, you hopped into a taxi as droplets of rain began to fall from the clouded sky.

* * *

Your mother came rushing down the stairs the moment she heard the front door close. Her hair that was usually done in an elegant, high bun was dishevelled. She was not wearing her designer dress, but instead, was in an old t-shirt and jeans. Her face was flushed, bare from the flawless makeup that she has always put on.

“What’s happening?” you asked worriedly.

She ignored your question. “Go to your room and pack all your essentials. We’re leaving in half an hour.”

“Why?” you asked again.

She let out a shriek of frustration before rushing to the television, turning it on without a word. You watched in horror as the news showed a video of your father being swarmed by journalists and reporters outside his office building as he was led into a car with two suited men by his side. In bold, the headline wrote, ‘ **BUSINESSMAN/POLITICIAN [L/N] ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION AND TAX EVASION.** ’

You turned towards your mother and shouted, “is this a joke?!” She avoided your eyes, so you grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face you. Her facial expression was emotionless, indifferent, stoic. “Mama, answer me!” you screamed.

She pushed you away harshly, turning her back on you once again. “Please, just go to your room and do as I say,” she demanded in a low, tired voice.

“Are we running away?! Is that what we’re gonna do?! There must have been a mistake! Papa would never do such things! Shouldn’t you be here for papa?! Isn’t he your husband?!”

“If your father thinks it’s acceptable to have three mistresses outside of this marriage, his moral values would not see any fault in doing anything illegal!” you mother yelled as she whipped around forcefully, resentment and rage clear on her face.

You were left speechless at the sudden revelation. You felt your throat tighten, and suddenly, you were struggling to breathe. Your stomach churned and you wanted to puke so badly. You felt cold, yet you could feel yourself sweating. You almost felt like you were drowning, the noises around you muffled as your vision blurred.

Before you knew it, your tears dampened your cheeks, pouring out your eyes like the downpour outside the glass window.

“Pack your bags now,” your mother finally said, her voice and expression reverted to apathy.

“Where are we going?”

“To your grandmother’s in Miyagi.”


	2. Chapter One

The school bell rang. You could hear the students shuffling back to their seats as their chattering died down, getting ready for class to begin. You watched the vice-principal who stood next to you adjust the wig on his head before he opened the door and entered the classroom, the students inside immediately paid attention to this unusual occurrence.

“Good morning, class five!” The class returned the greeting, though rather low-spirited. The vice-principal seemed unpleased with their response but decided to let it go this time. “Sorry to interrupt homeroom time,” he said to the teacher, who nodded understandingly.

“I have a new transfer student to introduce,” he said, “[L/N]-san, please come in!”

You walked in. Right away, you could hear the students gasp in surprise, followed by low murmurs between them. “Isn’t that the model [L/N] [Y/N]?” you heard one student ask, “what is she doing here?”

“Didn’t you read the news? Her father was accused of corruption,” another student said.

You shuffled your feet and stared at the floor nervously. Normally, you enjoyed being the centre of attention; but under the current circumstances that you were in, you felt mortified and wanted nothing more but to hide in a hole.

The vice-principal cleared his throat and asked the class to quiet down once again. He then turned to you, motioning you to introduce yourself.

“I’m [L/N] [Y/N],” you mumbled, still avoiding eye contact with the class. Everyone stared at you, expecting a longer introduction. But you had nothing more to say, nor were you in the mood to say more.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the vice principal cleared his throat once again. “[L/N]-san must be shy since it’s her first day of school! Everyone, I expect you to be nice to her and make sure she feels welcomed here!” And with that, the vice principal left the room.

The teacher introduced himself as Takeda-sensei and welcomed you to his class with a warm smile. He pointed to an empty table in the last row, to which you wordlessly made your way to.

You could feel your classmates’ eyes following your every move. Some of them in disbelief, some amazed, and some in curiosity. However, the most obvious looks that they gave you — and the one that you loathed the most — were of pity.

Takeda-sensei called for everyone’s attention and began the homeroom period. Most students turned their attention back to the teacher, but you could still feel their lingering gaze on you.

With your arms folded on the table, you buried your face against your arms and closed your eyes, wishing to be back home in Tokyo, the place you called home.

* * *

By recess time, the news of your arrival at Karasuno has already spread across the entire school. Large groups of students gathered outside the classroom door, wanting to catch a glimpse of the new celebrity in town.

Some of your classmates have also crowded around you — mostly the girls — as they fired question after question at you, mainly about your modelling career and your life in Tokyo. The boys, on the other hand, kept their distance, but their constant glances at you made it known that they were paying just as much attention as the girls.

“You’re even prettier in person!” one said enthusiastically.

“Is it alright to call you [Y/N]-chan?” another asked with puppy-like eyes.

“Let’s exchange numbers!” one of them suggested excitedly, already taking her phone out from her pocket.

“We should have lunch together!” a different voice proposed, looking at you expectantly.

You sighed in despair, feeling a bad throbbing pain starting to form on the side of your head. You finally made eye contact with the group around you, causing everyone to hold their breath as they awaited your answer.

You forced a smile on your face. “I’d rather not, thank you.”

Everyone around you fell quiet. Your refusal was unexpected. “Come on, there’s no need to be shy!” the girl in front of you said, the rest of them nodding in agreement.

“I wish to be left alone,” you said again, the side of your lips twitching in annoyance as you struggled to maintain the fake smile.

“But [Y/N]-cha—”

“Fuck off!” you scowled, your temper rising at the fact that these people did not know how to take a hint.

The tension in the room was thick, all eyes on you as they looked in shock at your outburst. You crossed your arms and watched the girls around you make eye contact with one another, communicating without using actual words.

Then, one of them — who you assumed was the ‘leader’ of the girls — slammed their hand on your desk, glaring at you. “What? You think you’re so much better than us because you’re famous, huh? Sorry, Miss Tokyo Top Model, but you’re a nobody now. We were just being nice because we feel bad that your daddy’s going to jail.”

You stiffened at the mention of your father. Your hands balled into fists as you fought the urge to punch the girl who spoke. ‘ _ There’s no need to stoop to their level, _ ’ you told yourself, ‘ _ they’re just saying that to get a reaction out of you. Don’t give them the satisfaction of ruffling your feathers. _ ’

Ignoring her comment, you simply shrugged with a lazy smirk, daring her to say more.

The school bell rang again, signalling the end of recess. The crowd outside in the corridor began to disperse, and most of the girls around you scurried back to their seats after sending one last glare at you. All except for the girl who insulted you.

“What? Didn’t I tell you to fuck off?” you sneered, shooing her away with a flick of your wrist.

She scorned, shocked that her words did not affect you as much as she thought it would. “Whatever,” she said nastily, “nobody would want to be friends with a bitch like you anyway!”

With those words, she returned to her seat at last.

You had no plans in befriending anyone here — or even staying for long — in the first place. You believed that your father was innocent, and as soon as the scandal settles down, you will return to Tokyo with your mother, and your life will go back to the way it used to be.


	3. Chapter Two

Gossips spread fast like a wildfire, especially in a small school like Karasuno. Your arrival and the clash between you and your classmates became the talk of the school in the days that follow, so it was no surprise when your homeroom teacher requested to talk to you privately a week after you arrived.

“Have you gotten used to your new surroundings?” Takeda-sensei, who sat across you, asked. You nodded without a word. “Are you getting along with your classmates?” Again, you nodded. “How about your studies? Anything you’re struggling with?”

“Everything is fine, sensei.”

He let out a sigh at your response. “I’ll get straight to the point, [L/N]-san. I’ve heard about what happened between you and the other students on your first day. I’m not saying you have to become friends with everyone, but you should at least be respectful to each other,” he paused, observing your reaction.

You gave another emotionless nod. After the conflict on your first day, everyone in your class kept their distance. Although some students from other classes continued to gather in front of your classroom, the number has dropped drastically — which you were thankful for. However, you were still getting stares everywhere you go, as if you were some kind of unidentified creature.

“I have also received several complaints from other teachers about the lack of attention you’re paying in class,” Takeda-sensei continued with a stern tone in his voice. “Since you were able to maintain your good grades from your previous school records, we have decided to let you be for now. But, we hope your attitude in class could improve.”

“I understand,” you said half-heartedly. You were getting good grades anyway, so why does it matter whether or not you were paying attention in class? “Is that it?” you asked.

“One more thing, actually,” he said, looking at your student record documents on the table. “It says here that you have not joined any school clubs? Is there no society that you’re interested in? If that’s the case, you’re always welcomed to start one.”

You shook your head, causing the teacher to tilt his head to one side in confusion.

“I have no intentions of staying here for long. As soon as my father’s case is resolved, I’m moving back to Tokyo. I won’t be joining any clubs,” you told him seriously.

The man in front of you sighed once again. “[L/N]-san, I understand how you feel. But as an adult and as your teacher, I have to tell you the truth: investigations like this are complicated and will take a long time to complete. With the scale of your father’s case, I don’t think you should hold onto the mentality that you will be returning home soon.”

You blinked away the tears in your eyes. You may still be a teenager, but you knew. Yet, despite knowing, you continued to lie to yourself because it was the only way to make yourself feel better. And to have someone tell you the truth so directly only made your blood run cold.

“Look, why don’t you join one of the clubs for now?” he asked with a small smile. “How about the boys’ volleyball club? I’m the faculty advisor and I know that they’re currently recruiting a new manager. I’ve heard that Yachi Hitoka-san from our class will also be joining, starting from today!”

“As I’ve already said, I’m not interested.”

Takeda-sensei frowned. “[L/N]-san, I think joining a club will be beneficial! You can meet new people and make new friends! Not to mention, it would make your future resume look good as well!”

“N—”

“If you’re not interested in sports, what about joining the reading club? Calligraphy? The yearbook committee? We also have choirs and other music-related clubs if that’s what you want!”

“Takeda-sensei, you sure are persistent,” you said, puzzled by his determination to get you to sign up for an after school activity. “Why does it matter whether I’m in a society or not? In fact, why does anything outside of my education matter to you anyway?”

“Why wouldn’t it matter?” he responded to your question with a question. “I’m a teacher, of course I care about my students. I want every single one of you to enjoy your time in high school and live these three years to the fullest. I was once a student myself, so I know what it’s like to be at your age. It’s my job to educate, but it’s also my job to inspire and guide you to walk on the right path in life.”

“It’s impossible to say ‘I will make sure that you won’t leave any regrets behind’ or ‘I will make sure that you will not make any mistakes’, because there will always be regrets in life, and we as humans will always make mistakes no matter how careful we are. But, I just want to do everything I can so you will only have the least possible regrets left behind, and that you will grow and learn from your mistakes.”

“Right now, I can see that you’ve shut down your heart because of fear and anxiety. It’s not easy when the life that you’re so used to has suddenly been ripped away, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your life. Happiness is something that you create, [L/N]-san, and your faith is in your own hands.”

His words caught you off guard. Over the past week, you could tell that Takeda-sensei is a rather clumsy and modest person. You noticed that he seemed to be good friends with all his students, and was well-respected around the school. Despite this, you did not think he would be so attentive and concerned about you, especially since you have barely spoken to the man before today.

He was different compared to the teachers at Nekoma. Not that they were bad teachers or that they did not care about their students, but none of your previous teachers has expressed their thoughts to you so earnestly.

“Fine,” you finally said, “I’ll join the boys’ volleyball club as a manager.”

Takeda-sensei rose from his seat and bowed deeply to you. “Thank you, [L/N]-san!”

You quickly stood up as well, baffled by his actions.

“I’ll tell the third-year manager Shimizu Kiyoko-san about this arrangement. Please meet with Yachi-san outside the classroom after school today so Shimizu-san can introduce you both to the team during practice today.”

You nodded. Takeda-sensei thanked you once more before dismissing you.

As you walked out of the meeting room, you let out a breath of relief. The meeting was stressful, and the teacher’s honest opinion about the situation regarding your father was upsetting, but a tiny part of you felt more hopeful after hearing Takeda-sensei’s uplifting advice.

You checked your watch and saw that there was still half an hour left before lunchtime was over. You decided to return to the classroom so you can retrieve your lunch box before going to eat in the school courtyard like you have been doing in the past few days.

Turning at the corner in the corridor, you suddenly crashed into someone, causing you to stumble backwards.

You looked up to see a tall, blond male with glasses towering you. His golden-brown eyes narrowed as he glared at you. “Watch where you’re going,” he snapped grumpily before striding away without looking back. ‘ _ What a jerk, _ ’ you thought to yourself.


	4. Chapter Three

Your after school routine used to be like this: the bell would ring, and your best friends would assemble around you as you slowly packed your bags. You would chat for around three minutes before finally leaving the classroom as a group — the time was purposely calculated to match with the time where the majority of students would be in the corridor — so that you would get to be the prime focus as you left the school ground.

Depending on your schedule that day, you would either hang out with your friends somewhere in the city or head towards the management office, where your mother would be waiting for you. Once you have arrived, you would quickly be escorted to work.

After you came to Karasuno, your after school routine did a 180: you would start packing your bags a minute before the bell rang. As soon as it chimed, you would rush out of the classroom. Dashing through the corridors, down the stairs, and across the schoolyard, you made sure you were out of school ground before the rest of the students. You wanted to avoid interaction at all cost, and more importantly, you wanted to escape from their constant judgemental gaze.

Unlike your life in Tokyo, there was no place you wanted to hang out in at Miyagi. Besides, there was no one you could hang out with. So your destination was to go back to your grandmother’s house. And after you got home, you simply stayed in your room.

That was your routine for the past week.

So you could feel your classmates’ curious eyes on you when you did not bolt out of your seat the moment the school bell rang. You could almost feel yourself shrinking under their gaze, but paid no attention to them as you slowly packed your books away.

Students slowly began to make their way out of the room, and soon, yourself and another girl were the only ones left. You recognised her as one of the quieter members of the class and was one of the few girls who did not harass you on your first day. Judging by your observation during class, she seemed fairly shy and timid, as her face would flush every time a teacher calls on her.

She stole a glance in your direction before she hurriedly left her seat. You leisurely followed, remembering Takeda-sensei’s instructions.

When you walked out of the classroom, you stood a few feet away from her. She looked at you with widened eyes, startled.

“Hitoka-chan,” a soft voice called out. You turned to see an extremely beautiful girl with shoulder-length black hair walking towards you. The blonde girl next to you immediately bowed to greet the upperclassman. The third-year manager noticed you then. “And you must be [L/N] [Y/N]-chan. I heard from Takeda-sensei. Thank you for considering becoming a manager for the boys’ volleyball team.”

She introduced herself as Shimizu Kiyoko, and on your way to the gym, briefly told you about how the boys’ volleyball team used to be a powerhouse. The team failed to continue their initial success, and for the past few years, have been called ‘The Fallen Champions’ and ‘The Flightless Crows’.

However, right now, the team is in the process of evolving. They made it to the third round of the Interhigh-Preliminaries, but lost to a school named Aoba Johsai, placing the team in top 16 of Miyagi.

“We have a few troublemakers on the team,” she explained with a faint smile, “but they are also the best players on our team. I’m sure you’ll find that they’re a team you want to root for.”

You could hear the sounds of shouting, bouncing balls, and squeaky shoes as you neared the gymnasium.

Shimizu asked you and Yachi to stand behind her as she stood in front of the opened door. “Hey, do you have a moment?”

The two of you peeked over the third-year's shoulder. You could see male students dressed in t-shirts and black shorts scattered around the gym. One of the shorter, orange-haired boys shouted, “So you found new people!”

“What’s up? What’s going on?” the other boys asked as they jogged towards Shimizu, forming a half-circle around the three of you. You could feel Yachi trembling next to you, her nervousness making your heart speed up as well.

“Um, these two are joining the club on a trial basis as the new manager…” Shimizu said.

“I-I’m Yachi Hitoka!” Yachi shouted.

“I’m [L/N] [Y/N],” you introduced yourself calmly.

“Seriously? That’s awesome!” a boy with light grey hair proclaimed.

The boy with orange hair gave Shimizu a thumbs up. With a grin, he said, “nice job, Shimizu-senpai!”

Another member of the team — a tall male with a man bun and short scuff on his chin — towered over you and Yachi. “You two are first-years?” he asked.

Yachi squealed in fear. “I-I’m in class 1-5, sir!”

Having worked with adults much taller and imitating in Tokyo before, you were not as intimidated by who you assumed was the third-year player in front of you. You nodded in response to his question.

“Asahi, back up a bit,” another player with short, dark hair said. The player with the man bun seemed rather confused by his teammate’s command, but complied nevertheless.

Yachi slightly jumped in her spot once again. Your eyes followed her and spotted a player with a shaved head and a shorter player with wild, black hair peeking over another player’s shoulder.

The grey-haired player made eye contact with you and Yachi before he glanced backwards, realising the two behind him staring, and quickly covered their faces with his hands. “Don’t stare like that! It’s rude,” he told them off, making you chuckle under your breath as you remembered Shimizu’s words about the troublemakers on the team.

“Thank goodness,” the player with the man bun said to the orange-haired boy, grabbing your attention once again. “Now there’ll be managers next year, too.” The boy reacted excitedly, but both yourself and Yachi started to panic from his comment (though you were better at hiding your anxiety than the poor girl next to you).

Thankfully, Shimizu spoke up for you. “Th-they haven’t actually joined yet,” she explained, “I asked them suddenly today, and before work with the membership committee, so they’re just dropping in to say hi today.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you and Yachi said together.

“Same here!” the team around you called out enthusiastically, their sudden loud voices frightened you.

Again, Shimizu immediately protected you two. “Could you not surround them until they’re more comfortable?” she asked politely, everyone seemingly puzzled by her request but nodded in agreement anyway.

Shimizu thanked you both once again for showing an interest in becoming managers for the team. With that, you took it as a queue for you two to leave the gymnasium.

Yachi seemed deep in thought as you two slowly made your way down the path back to the school building, her frame shaking. You also fell into your thoughts as you two walked in silence.

You were no stranger to high school volleyball players, as you were acquainted with the team in your old school. Upon the first impression, the Karasuno team was no different from Nekoma’s — both groups filled with rowdy boys.

Suddenly, the girl next to you stiffened in her spot, before she quickly looked left and right alarmingly. “What’s wrong?” you asked her, but another husky voice spoke over you. Again, Yachi let out a screech in fear. The two of you turned around and spotted a man with blond hair in a red tracksuit.

Before you could react, however, Yachi dashed off while screaming, “I-I’m gonna get killed!”

Left behind, you and the man stood there as you awkwardly looked at each other, trying to process what just happened. A moment later, he spoke. “Uh, sorry about your friend.”

You shook your head and bowed in apology as well, before you scurried away too, escaping the scene as fast as you could.


	5. Chapter Four

You spotted Yachi standing next to your shoe locker the next morning. She nervously looked around and let out a sigh of relief when she caught sight of you in the crowd.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, [L/N]-san!” she cried, her upper body bent forward into a bow. “I said yes to Shimizu-senpai’s invitation on a whim and did not expect to see so many big guys! Then I realised that I stood next to two of the prettiest girls in school and got super worried that your fans would try to kill me! And then that man with blond hair and pierced ears came out of nowhere and that just triggered my fight-or-flight response! I’m so sorry I left you behind!”

You stood there speechlessly as the girl in front of you continued to apologise about what happened yesterday. To be completely honest, you were not so bothered by her sudden disappearance. The two of you were not even friends to begin with, so even if she had not run away, it would have been awkward between you two, and you would have parted ways with her as soon as you could regardless.

As Yachi’s apology went on, you noticed the students around you began to stare and point, no doubt thinking that you were giving the poor girl a hard time. You were about to tell her that everything was fine when another voice cut in.

“Oh no! Is [Y/N]-chan bullying you, Hitoka-chan?” the leader of the girls in your class — whom you later learned was called Erika — chimed in with a smug expression on her face.

You rolled your eyes. Of course, out of everyone who was around, she had to be the one to intervene. Yachi lifted her head and shook it frantically. “N-n-no! You’ve got it all wrong!” she squealed.

Erika put her arm around Yachi’s shoulder, pulling the blonde girl to stand next to her. “Don’t be afraid, Hitoka-chan! You can tell the truth! I’m here for you!” she said with feigned kindness. “Everyone else here saw what happened here, right? Why else would you be apologising if you didn’t do anything wrong?”

That was when you realised that since Erika has gotten involved, a crowd had gathered around the three of you. Yachi shook her head once again but did not say anything more.

You were slightly annoyed that she did not try to further explain what actually happened and clear up the misunderstanding; however, through the short time you have spent with the girl, you knew that she was simply too timid to speak up against the queen bee in your class.

“Look, Erika-chan,” you scoffed with a fake smile, “why don’t you mind your own business?”

“As class president, I have to step up for my fellow students when I see something wrong,” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. The sides of her lips curled up even further. “You’re a daughter of a lawbreaker, so I have been paying extra attention to you.”

You balled your hands into fists as you narrowed your eyes at the girl in front of you. In your head, you were considering the different ways to deal with the situation: punch her? Give her a piece of your mind? Flip her off and walk away?

The first option was most tempting, though you knew you would definitely get into a lot of trouble and could be suspended. But then again, a suspension sounds pretty good when you think about it as getting to take a break from school.

The second option was also appealing, but your reputation around the school was already bad enough as it is. You knew the kind of rumours that have been going around, as well as the names that they have been calling you. You told yourself that you do not care, that you would not let it affect you, but it still hurts when you thought about it — what you were going through here at Karasuno was nothing like the school life that you were experiencing in your old school.

So you decided to settle with the safe third option. However, before you could even raise your hand, another voice interjected. “You’re in the way,” the voice said.

Everyone in the crowd — including yourself and Erika — turned your head towards the source. Behind one of the students stood a tall boy with glasses. You recognised him as the same student who bumped into you in the corridor yesterday.

The student in front of him immediately apologised and moved aside. The audience around you started to talk amongst themselves. “Who is he?” you heard someone ask.

“A third-year? He’s so tall.”

“No, that’s Tsukishima from class four,” someone else answered.

You noticed another boy standing next to this Tsukishima guy. With greyish-green hair and freckles on his face, the boy’s eyes darted across the crowd worriedly. Tsukishima glanced at his companion. “You’re in the way,” he repeated, this time his words directed at you. You scooted to the side wordlessly.

“Sorry about this, Tsukishima-kun, Yamaguchi-kun!” Erika said, batting her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner. You fought the urge to gag at her sudden change of behaviour.

Tsukishima did not reply. Instead, as he took out his indoor shoes from his shoe locker, he turned towards Yamaguchi. “How lame,” he mocked, his voice loud enough for everyone around him to hear. Erika’s face instantly flushed bright red, knowing that he was talking about her. Tsukishima glanced at the corridor before he said, “oh look, the vice-principal is coming this way.”

Upon hearing his words, the crowd around you immediately broke up, the students scurrying away before they got in trouble. Erika also gasped before she quickly escaped the scene, leaving you and Yachi alone with the two boys.

You looked briefly at the corridor, but the vice-principal was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m really sorry, [L/N]-san!” Yachi began to apologise once again.

You cut her off before she would cause another scene. “Whatever, just stop apologising already,” you sighed, already feeling drained from having to deal with Erika before the school day began.

“Wow, not even gonna acknowledge someone’s sincere apology. How cold,” Tsukishima remarked behind you. You turned around swiftly and gave him a dirty look. “As expected of the Ice Queen of Karasuno, huh?”

“Mind your own fucking business, four eyes,” you scowled.

The boy smirked. “Now that’s not a very nice thing to say to someone who just got you out of that sticky situation, don’t you think?”

“I was handling the situation perfectly fine,” you argued, though you knew he was right.

The bell rang, signalling that homeroom was about to begin. “Whatever you say, Your Majesty,” Tsukishima said smugly. He quickly changed his shoes before he walked past you, making his way to his classroom with his friend following close behind him as you stared angrily at his retreating figure.


	6. Chapter Five

Unsurprisingly, your morning confrontation with Erika became the talk of the day.

Everyone in your class kept their distance from you — more so than usual. Shockingly, Erika also stayed away from you, but you suspected that it had something to do with the fact that Tsukishima called her out in front of an audience.

Just the thought of that blond boy made your blood boil. When he was rude to you during the first encounter, you merely brushed it off because you knew you would have reacted the same way if someone had mindlessly bumped into you in the corridor. But for him to say such things to you at the second encounter has proved to you that you were right — that he was nothing but a jerk who thought of himself as superior to others.

You were glad that he was in class four and not your class. Having to deal with someone as ill-mannered as Tsukishima on top of Erika daily would be too much for you to handle.

The teacher dismissed class just as the lunch bell rang. The majority of your classmates exited the room to buy their lunch from the store. You, on the other hand, laid your head on the table, exhausted after the morning’s event and long classes.

“Yachi-san! [L/N]-san!” a loud voice suddenly yelled from the door. You lifted your head to see two boys walk into the classroom, the short one with orange hair and the taller with black hair. You instantly recognised the orange-haired boy as one of the team members from the volleyball team.

You watched as they walked towards Yachi’s table, located rows ahead of you. The blonde girl seemed to be in panic, her arms were frozen mid-air as they approached. Finally, they stopped in front of her seat. You stayed in your seat, too tired to get up.

“I’m Hinata Shoyo from class 1!” the short boy introduced. He then pointed at the taller boy. “This is Kageyama.”

“Hey,” the taller boy greeted. Yachi returned the greeting while you nodded in acknowledgement.

“Yachi-san, do you like studying?” Hinata asked the girl in front of him.

“I don’t hate it,” Yachi answered, a bit lost.

“How about you, [L/N]-san?” Hinata continued, this time looking at you as he semi-shouted his question across the classroom. You shrugged nonchalantly.

Hinata’s face lid up, a grin on his face. “Could you teach me this English?” he asked Yachi, holding out his notebook. Turning to Kageyama, he added, “You should ask her too, Kageyama!”

“Please teach us,” Kageyama said quietly.

Yachi stayed frozen in her seat, evidently startled by the sudden request from someone she has only met once. Contrarily, you had already made up your mind the moment you heard his request. You had no interest in interacting with the volleyball club members outside of club time.

You opened your mouth, ready to say no, but Hinata was not done yet. “If we fail any tests next month, we won’t be able to go to the Tokyo away games!” he explained. The mention of your hometown pricked up your ears, and you closed your mouth once again as you paid closer attention to his words.

“We’ve been having the tall guy with glasses named Tsukishima help us…” Hinata trailed off, his words once again caught you off guard. You could not imagine that jerk voluntarily offering to help tutor another student, so a teacher must have commanded him to do so. “But lately, he’s getting irritated because Kageyama and I are so stupid.”

‘ _ Ha! I knew it, _ ’ you thought, ‘ _ there’s no way that guy would be nice enough to help. _ ’

Kageyama pursed his lips. “I’m not scared of him.”

Again, Hinata turned towards his friend. “But it’d be better for someone to teach us nicely!”

You were surprised by Yachi’s response. “I-if I’m good enough…” she said, her voice fading out towards the end of her sentence.

“Really?!” Hinata asked as he jumped excitedly in his spot.

“Yeah,” Yachi confirmed. “But I wonder if I’ll be able to teach in a nicer way than the tall guy with glasses…” she questioned with uncertainty.

The two boys shook their heads immediately. “You definitely don’t have to worry about that,” Hinata reassured the blonde girl. “How about you, [L/N]-san? Could you help us too?”

You stood up from your seat and gave him a nod. “Sure,” you said. Yachi’s eyes widened in surprise, while the two boys bowed at you to express their gratitude.

* * *

“Wow! I see! Wow!” Hinata exclaimed as he looked at Yachi’s notes. Her notes were neatly written out and nicely laid out on the page, making it extremely easy to read and follow. You were impressed too.

“Oh, it’s nothing…” Yachi laughed in embarrassment, not used to the straightforward compliment from her peers. She began to explain how her mother has always been picky about little details like this, as she works at a design firm.

You began to space out as she started to explain to the boys about how to take notes in class more efficiently. You had to admit that the only reason you agreed to help the boys with their studies was that they mentioned something about the Tokyo away games.

Although you were not sure about the exact details, you did remember Kuroo telling you something about having training camps with other schools during the summer. However, just because Hinata mentioned Tokyo does not necessarily mean they will be going to the same training camp as Nekoma, right?

But even if Karasuno were not training with Nekoma, as long as you can attend the away games, it meant that you would have a chance to escape and seek help from someone. Surely one of your best friends would allow you to stay with them until you found a way to contact your father or his lawyer; if not, you believed that maybe one of the people you used to work would gladly lend you a helping hand.

And once you finally returned home — your real home in Tokyo — your life would no doubt return to the way it used to be. You will be back in Nekoma, surrounded by your best friends, loved by all of those around you. You will no longer have to deal with Erika’s antics or assholes like Tsukishima.

You knew your plan was full of flaws, but right now, it was the best plan you had that could take you back home.


	7. Chapter Six

“Do you not like studying, Hinata?” Yachi asked.

The boy furrowed his brows in disgust. “I hate it. Sitting for a long time like this sucks.”

“So you’re trying really hard so you can go to Tokyo?” Yachi asked again.

You were only half-paying attention to the conversation as you fidgeted with your fingers. But the moment you heard Tokyo, you looked up from your hands. You noticed Kageyama stealing a glance at your sudden movement before returning his attention back to copying Yachi’s notes.

The frown on Hinata’s face was replaced by an excited grin at the mention of Tokyo as well. “Yeah! We’re gonna have practice matches with all the strong schools from Tokyo!” he exclaimed.

“That’s amazing,” the blonde girl said, “I’ve never been that serious about anything before.”

“There’s this school called Nekoma in Tokyo, and the setter there is super smart,” Hinata continued. Your heart skipped a beat and goosebumps raised on your skin. You knew exactly who he was talking about, the slouched silhouette and pudding-like hair of Kenma appearing in your mind.

“And then their leader has a really spikey head… He’s really big and seems like a bad guy!”

You swallowed the small gasp that nearly escaped your lips. In your head, you could almost see the way Kuroo would bend over as he let out his infamous hyena laugh as you imagined telling him about how Hinata described him. You remembered your first impression of him being similar to Hinata’s words, but after getting to know the volleyball team captain, you knew how much of a dork he really was.

“And there’s a guy that’s totally awesome at picking up one receive after another like ‘foom’!”

“The libero from Nekoma is awesome. He’s on par with Nishinoya-san,” Kageyama also remarked. An image of Yaku dragging Lev to practice when the younger boy was too busy chatting with you came to mind.

Hinata and Yachi continued to talk, but you zoned out from their conversation as your thoughts raced. You were in a state of disbelief. ‘ _ This must be fate, _ ’ you thought to yourself. The plan that you previously thought was faulty may actually turn out successful if you execute it properly.

Returning to your old life in Nekoma and Tokyo would be possible.

You would be able to go home as soon as next month. You would be able to reunite with your best friends. You would be able to see your father again. You would be able to return to modelling. Screw Karasuno. Screw all the constant judgements. Screw Erika. Screw Tsukishima. Scr—

“[L/N]-san? Are you alright?” Hinata’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You noticed him and Yachi looking at you with concern. Even Kageyama — who was acting bored and indifferent this entire time — had his gaze fixed on you.

“Huh?” you asked, your voice croaky.

“You’re… crying,” Yachi blurted out before she quickly covered her mouth with both her hands.

You touched your own cheeks and felt wetness. That was when you realised that your eyes blurred with tears. Embarrassed, you swiftly wiped your face with your palm. “I’m fine,” you rasped.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Hinata asked again.

You shook your head, and without another word, escaped the classroom and their prying eyes.

* * *

When you returned to the classroom from the bathroom, you saw Hinata and Kageyama bidding farewell to Yachi by the front door.

“Will you help us study again?” Hinata asked the blonde girl.

“Sure. Teaching you guys helps me remember the material, too.”

The orange-haired player grabbed her hands and shook them excitedly. “Thanks! Thank you, Yachi-san!” he said. He saw your returning figure at the back door and waved at you as well. “Are you feeling better, [L/N]-san?” he shouted across the corridor, instantly catching the other students’ attention.

You nodded with flushed cheeks, embarrassment filling your mind at the thought that you showed weakness and cried in front of three people you barely knew.

He gave you a thumbs up and a toothy grin. “Good to know! See you two later!” he yelled as he waved goodbye with Kageyama bowing by his side.

Your body slumped when Hinata and Kageyama were out of sight. You felt like you have been left out in direct sunlight for a while, drained of energy. Yachi walked over to you with slouched shoulders as well, a sign that she was feeling the same way.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she whispered, keeping her voice down as she glanced inside the classroom where Erika and her group had just returned.

You nodded, keeping your face as impassive as possible. You have already exposed yourself in front of Yachi once, so you had to make sure not to repeat the same mistake.

“Yachi-san, [L/N]-san!” someone suddenly called out, the two of you stiffened ever so slightly before turning to the source of the voice. The boy who was with Tsukishima this morning jogged towards you two. “Did everything go alright with Hinata and Kageyama?” he asked.

Both of you looked at him in confusion. “Yeah, but… how did you know?” Yachi asked.

The freckled boy scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, right. I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi from class four. I’m also on the volleyball team. I recommended them to ask you two for help since Tsukki didn’t want to teach those two and I suck at English.”

You had no memory of seeing him during the introduction yesterday. He was tall, but not as tall as Tsukishima, and he seemed pretty shy. Perhaps that was why you did not notice his presence yesterday. Why someone as nice as him hung out with that jerk was beyond your understanding.

“Yamaguchi, class is about to start,” another voice said as his shadow towered you from behind. You recognised that voice right away and felt your jaw clench.

“Oh, right! See you two at practice later!” Yamaguchi said with a small wave of hand.

Tsukishima passed by wordlessly. You looked daggers at his back. You were glad that he did not speak to you. You did not want nor need to lose your temper again today.

Yourself and Yachi went back to your seats as well. Just two more periods left before the dreaded volleyball club time. At least all the first-years on the team — Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi and Yachi — were nice.


	8. Chapter Seven

This must be a dream. Or some sort of cruel joke. This cannot be real.

You rubbed your eyes roughly. You closed them, counted to three, and opened them again.

He was still there. Standing in the middle of the gymnasium was Tsukishima in his black volleyball jacket and shorts.

You cannot believe your eyes. How did you not notice him at all when you were here yesterday? Was he even present yesterday? Surely you would have noticed someone as tall as him. And his blond hair was not something that could be easily missed as well. Were you more nervous than you thought when you came here yesterday?

“Yachi-san! [L/N]-san!” Hinata shouted across the court and ran towards where you and Yachi were hiding behind the metal doors. “This afternoon’s English quiz… Some parts you taught me were on there, and I got a third of them right!” he announced as he held out his test paper in front of him proudly.

Yachi’s face brightened up, and the two of them jumped up into the air in excitement, celebrating Hinata’s achievement. You, on the other hand, continued to stare blankly at Tsukishima, who was looking at Hinata with clear annoyance on his face.

His gaze then shifted towards you, and your eyes met his. You narrowed your eyes at him, and you swear you saw him glare back before walking away.

Shimizu called for the two of you as Hinata ran back to join the warm-up. “So you two will be observing today. You don’t have to be nervous,” she told you. “Oh, but be careful of stray shots…” she said before walking away to help out.

“Right…” you and Yachi replied, looking around the gymnasium nervously. You have never played volleyball outside of physical education lessons, and while you were an alright player, you knew that being on a team meant that the players were on a different level than an amateur like you.

Which means that it would hurt a lot if you got hit by one of their shots.

Yachi continued to look around, anxiety clear on her face. The same man with blond hair and pierced ears from outside the gymnasium approaches the two of you. “Hey, you okay?” he asked, though his question was specifically directed at Yachi, who turned around stiffly.

She let out a squeal when her eyes landed on the man. “Um… I’m actually the coach…” he introduced himself with an awkward smile.

You nodded and watched as Yachi freaked out, getting onto her knees and bowing deeply. “I’m so sorry!” she cried out, startling everyone.

* * *

Yachi and yourself stood by the sideline as you observed practice. Coach Ukai stood on one side of the net and Shimizu stood next to him as she handed the volleyballs to him. You took out your notebook and quickly noted down how practice was structured, as well as the things you had to do as a manager as you watched Shimizu.

You watched Azumane spike the ball, but Sugawara and Yamaguchi successfully blocked him and sent the ball flying towards Yachi and your direction. The speed of the ball was so fast that there was no way you could avoid it in time, so you lifted your arms in front of your face to protect yourself and closed your eyes, waiting for the impact to come.

The sound of the ball hitting someone rang clear in your ears, but you could not feel any pain on your arms. Quickly, you glanced towards the side to check on Yachi, but she was staring at someone else in front of her in awe. You put down your arms and saw Hinata in mid-air, his arm stretched in front of him as he received the ball that was about to hit you two. You watched in shock, speechless due to his quick reflexes.

“Nice, Hinata!” you heard Sugawara shout.

“Sorry!” Yamaguchi yelled as well.

Shimizu quickly jogged towards the two of you. “Are you two okay?” she asked worriedly.

“Yes,” Yachi answered while you nodded. “This is my first time seeing volleyball outside of PE class so close. It’s pretty amazing,” Yachi added.

Shimizu smiled softly. “I think our team’s offence is among the best in the prefecture,” the third-year said, blocking another stray ball effortlessly as she spoke. “Karasuno was actually strong enough to go to the nationals before. But in the last few years, we’ve been called ‘The Fallen Champions’ and ‘The Flightless Crows’. This time, we’re going to stand on the national stage.”

You felt your heart tightening upon hearing Shimizu’s words. You could relate to it so deeply. If the national stage was what the Karasuno volleyball team was aiming for their comeback, then the return to Tokyo and Nekoma was what you wanted to aim for your comeback.

“That’s amazing…” Yachi whispered next to you. “So amazing! Totally different from me.”

Both you and Shimizu glanced at the blonde girl, unsure of what she meant.

You continued to observe and take notes as Shimizu kindly and patiently explained the rules of the game, as well as each position in the team. She told you that she would teach you both more about the techniques and strategies of volleyball later on.

She then went on to tell you about the other duties that a manager has to perform besides being involved in practice. From filling water bottles, washing uniforms, to arranging and scheduling practices with Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai. At away games and official matches, the manager also has to be in charge of taking care of the team’s belongings and making sure that the players do not have to worry about meals or living arrangements.

A manager was more than just someone who supported the team from the sidelines, you realised; a manager was responsible for running the team and making sure that everything ran smoothly, that every player was at their top condition so they could lead the team to victory.

When you were working as a model in Tokyo, you always thought your mother simply had to sit in the office as she answered phone calls and responded to emails. However, you never realised how much effort she had to put into being your manager. Finding jobs and contacting clients, scheduling your work so that it does not negatively impact your studies, negotiating with clients to make sure that you were paid fairly, managing and promoting you to the public and so on.

“I never knew that a manager had so much work to do,” you said quietly to yourself.


	9. Chapter Eight

Sawamura urged the players to finish cleaning up so they could lock up the gymnasium and go home. After quickly changing back to your school uniforms, the two of you stood outside the gymnasium as you waited for Shimizu.

You scrolled through your phone mindlessly, while Yachi stood next to you as she listened attentively to Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai’s conversation inside the gym. You were not paying much attention to what they were saying, though you kind of understood that they were having problems with arranging transportation and club expenses.

If you were still working as a model, it would be easy for you to ask for sponsors and donations. Heck, you could even use your own money to pay for the club’s expenses. But now, that would be very difficult. ‘ _ Wait, _ ’ you suddenly realised, ‘ _ why am I so concerned and eager to help out? I’m going to be leaving Karasuno soon anyway. _ ’

“Yachi-san! [L/N]-san! Are you going to be our manager?” Hinata asked as he ran towards you two. Both yourself and Yachi hesitated. “You will, right?” the orange-haired boy pressed on.

“Hey, first-year girls, hey!” two more voices joined in. You turned your head to see Tanaka and Nishinoya looking at you both expectantly.

“We hope that you will join the Karasuno volleyball team,” Nishinoya said in all seriousness.

“When you two are around, Kiyoko-san talks a lot,” Tanaka added sincerely.

Sawamura landed a punch on both their heads angrily. “What kind of invitation is that, you idiots?!” he scolded the second-years.

Sugawara, who stood beside the captain, nodded at you two apologetically. “Sorry these guys are so stupid,” he noted.

“No, not at all!” Yachi said as she shook her head. “Um… I’m flattered. I’ve never tried to do something on my own, or had someone need me for anything…” she trailed off, a hand scratching the back of her head shyly. “Even in the drama club, I’ve only been an extra. Like Townsperson B or a tree.”

You stayed quiet, though, in your head, you were thinking how yourself and Yachi were the complete opposite. Since you were born, you were always in the centre of attention. Although it was your mother who suggested that you become a model when you were a child, you have learned to enjoy every part of that job. Clients and brands all wanted you to model for them, so it was no surprise that you were always cast as the heroine in school plays.

“So when Shimizu-senpai worked so hard to recruit a Townsperson B like me, who has no experience or knowledge of volleyball, I was really happy,” Yachi further explained. From the short time you have known Yachi, you were aware that she was a shy and timid person; but from what she just said, you realised how insecure she was about herself. “But I’m sure I’m not much—”

“I totally get how you feel,” Tanaka said, cutting Yachi off. “Even if Kiyoko-san said, ‘I’m going to steal money from you, so follow me’, I’d still follow her.”

You stifled a laugh, knowing that Tanaka had completely misunderstood what Yachi was trying to say.

“You’re so manly, Ryu!” Nishinoya complimented with an impressed smile on his face.

“That sounds sort of awesome!” Hinata also chimed in.

Azumane and Daichi walked by, as the ace of the team said, “looks like Tanaka’s saying something again.”

As you watched their interactions, the sides of your lips could not help but lift in amusement. Despite just finishing a two-hour practice where they ran and jumped around the court nonstop, they were still so energetic and enthusiastic about the smallest things.

“Oh, that reminds me…” Hinata suddenly stated, his hand looking for something in his bag. He pulled out his cellphone and showed something to the two second-years in front of him.

It took a few moments for the two of them to read whatever was on the screen. “Damn! Nekoma’s so awesome!” Nishinoya shouted. His comment made you even more curious, but you were hesitant to ask Hinata what was on his phone. After all, you two were not friends, and it would seem a bit impolite to ask him that.

Fortunately, Shimizu finally returned from the changing room, dressed in her uniform. “Ready to go?” she asked you and Yachi. The three of you said goodbye to the rest of the team and began your journey home.

Small talks were made on the way, as Shimizu tried to get to know the two of you better. Yachi was more talkative once you were away from the loud boys, the smile on her face less forced. You noticed that Shimizu also seemed more relaxed compared to when she was in practice, even letting out several giggles as she listened to Yachi talk about what went through her head when the volleyball almost hit her earlier.

“How about you, [Y/N]-chan?” Shimizu asked you all of a sudden, “how was your first practice?”

You pursed your lips as you thought about it. At first, the only reason why you agreed to Takeda-sensei’s offer was to get him off your back; then you found out that Karasuno has connections with Nekoma, which further prompted you to join the club.

But you knew you could not tell Shimizu the truth. Her and Takeda-sensei suggested you join the club as a manager with good intentions in mind. They would hate you if they found out that you used her and the volleyball club just to return home.

So you lied. “I had fun,” you answered with a forced smile on your face, hoping that she would not see through your lies.

The corners of her lips turned up. “That’s great!” she said, “I was worried that you weren’t enjoying yourself since you were so quiet the entire time.”

You faked a cheerful chuckle. “Sorry, I’m still trying to get used to everything here.”

“I understand,” Shimizu consoled as she gently took your hand into hers. “It must have been difficult coming to a completely new environment.”

‘ _ But you don’t really understand, _ ’ you thought to yourself. Her words were just empty words of pity. There was no way she would understand how you felt when she has never been through the same situation.

After walking down the long, steep slope and reaching the crossroad, the three of you parted ways. You could not wait to get home and lay in bed.


	10. Chapter Nine

It was only a few minutes after you parted ways with Shimizu and Yachi when you heard footsteps behind you. You glanced backwards discreetly, spotting a tall figure walking slowly.

“Oh, if it isn’t the Ice Queen of Karasuno!” the figure suddenly declared.

You stopped walking and quickly turned around, your eyes immediately narrowing at the sight of none other than Tsukishima. You cursed him in your head.

“What do you want?” you asked through gritted teeth. The blond boy shrugged. “I have no interest in talking to you.”

Tsukishima laughed mockingly. “What a coincidence! Neither do I.”

“Good. Let’s keep it this way,” you scoffed as you sped up, trying to get away from the boy as quick as you could. Thankfully, he kept his distance as he continued to walk several feet from you.

However, this went on for another minute or two. When you turned a corner, he turned as well. When you slowed down, you heard his footsteps slow down as well; and when you tried to walk faster, you could hear him doing the same.

Finally had enough, you turned around and pointed an accusing finger at him. “Stop following me, asshole!”

Tsukishima took off his headphones and gave you a boring look. “I’m not,” he said. Unconvinced, you simply stood there and scowled. He rolled your eyes at your behaviour and started to walk again, this time going ahead of you.

You smirked in triumph as you watched his back, pleased that he was no longer following you. However, this feeling of delight did not last long, because a few moments later, Tsukishima opened his mouth again. “What will your fans and the press think if they found out you have such a potty mouth?”

You bit your tongue, refusing to say another word to the volleyball player. At your lack of reaction, he made another comment. “Why are you signing up to become manager anyway? Your Majesty bored of her peasants in class and decided to find a new toy to play with?” he snickered, stealing a glance over his shoulder.

‘ _ Don’t let him get to you, _ ’ you told yourself repeatedly. You ignored him once again.

“I bet you won’t even last three days before you find this all too bothersome and quit the team,” he smirked. You took one shoe off and threw it at him, the shoe perfectly hitting the back of his head. “Hey!” he shouted angrily as he turned around, your attack unexpected.

This time, it was your turn to smile smugly at him. You picked up your shoe and put it back on. “That’s what you get, four eyes.”

“Wow, what a creative nickname,” he said sarcastically.

You rolled your eyes in annoyance and resumed your walk home. The middle blocker continued to follow you, though this time, he kept his mouth shut.

The walk home usually took fifteen minutes, but with Tsukishima following behind you like a stalker, it felt like double the time. When your grandmother’s house came into sight, you let out a sigh of relief.

You jogged towards the front door and stood there as you watched Tsukishima walk past your house. You were about to turn around and lock the door when Tsukishima made a turn at the house next to yours, causing you to do a double-take.

“Huh?” you said out loud before you could stop yourself. Tsukishima gave you a side glance.

“What?” he asked.

“You live here?”

“Duh,” he said, unamused.

Your front door suddenly opened, nearly knocking you in the face. Your grandmother peeked her head out the door, and a warm smile of relief instantly appeared on her face when she saw you. “[Y/N]! I was so worried since you didn’t come home straight after school!”

You mumbled an apology and sent a death glare in Tsukishima’s direction when you heard him snort with mocking laughter at your grandmother doting over you. Hearing the noise from the other side of the door, your grandmother came out of the house and noticed Tsukishima by his front door.

“Oh, I see you’ve met Kei-chan!” she exclaimed. Tsukishima bowed politely while you snickered at the name your grandmother called him. You could see his cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment, not expecting your grandmother’s sudden attention on him. The boy quickly excused himself and unlocked his door, running into the house before you could say anything.

Your grandmother ushered you into the house. “Why didn’t you tell me this ‘Kei-chan’ person was a boy?” you asked. Your grandmother has mentioned your next-door neighbour ‘Kei-chan’ and ‘Aki-chan’ who she often babysitted when they were younger. She told you that ‘Kei-chan’ was the same age as you and suggested that you two go to school together on your first day — an idea that you shut down almost immediately.

“I thought you remembered him! You two would often play together when you were younger!” your grandmother said as she walked into the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner before your arrival.

According to your parents, before you entered kindergarten, they often brought you here to Miyagi to spend the summer at your grandparents’ house. You were too young to even remember that, much less the specific next-door neighbour that you hung out with. You had no memory of ever even seeing Tsukishima before yesterday.

“You should take a shower before dinner,” your grandmother told you. You glanced at the living room, but no one was in sight. “Your mother found a part-time job at Shimada Mart and today is her first day. She should be home soon,” she said when she noticed where your eyes were looking.

You simply nodded indifferently. “I wasn’t looking for her anyway,” you muttered under your breath.

Your grandmother let out a soft sigh. “It’s been two weeks since you moved here. Have you still not spoken to your mother at all?”

Giving your elder a nonchalant shrug, you ignored her question and turned to walk up the stairs to your bedroom. “Call me when dinner’s ready,” you said cooly over your shoulder.

“Family is family, [Y/N],” your grandmother stated, “you can’t ignore your mother and run away from your problems forever!”

You know it was rude for you to brush off your grandmother’s concern, but you had no plans on speaking to your mother — unless she apologises for dragging you away from the life that you were familiar with, and for abandoning your father when he needed her by his side the most.

Until she agreed to move back to Tokyo and to put your life back in order, you had no intention of mending your relationship with her.


	11. Chapter Ten

When you heard your neighbour’s front door open, you stood up and dusted yourself off.

“Aren’t you gonna be late to morning practice?” you asked. You saw Tsukishima do a double-take at your direction, a hint of surprise on his face that he quickly tried to mask with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t have to attend morning practise since you’re only joining on a trial basis,” he said flatly as he started walking away from his house. You speed-walked to catch up with him but kept a distance between the two of you.

“I’ll take any reason to get out of the house,” you mumbled under your breath, more so to yourself than to the blond boy in front of you. You were unsure if Tsukishima had heard you, but if he did, he chose to remain silent. “I didn’t know school clubs did morning practices here. No wonder why I never ran into you in the morning in the past week,” you remarked.

Tsukishima gave you a quick look of disinterest. “You don’t have to try and befriend me now, Queen.”

You furrowed your brows in annoyance. “I wasn’t, four eyes.” You pointed a finger at him, and added, “and stop calling me that.”

He smirked. “I thought Your Majesty didn't care about what other people say,” he sneered.

“I don’t. But you’re more annoying than others, so just stop it already,” you warned through gritted teeth. ‘ _ I shouldn’t have waited for him this morning, _ ’ you thought. When you woke up, you thought you should at least act civil towards Tsukishima from now on, since he was your neighbour. But now you knew it was stupid of you to even consider that in the first place — especially when it was clear as day that Tsukishima was an asshole.

“Aw, so Your Majesty pays more attention to me than her other peasants? Should I be honoured?” Tsukishima continued mockingly, the irritatingly smug expression on his face causing you to ball your hands into fists.

“You think too highly of yourself,” you spit out. The volleyball player simply shrugged lazily before putting his headphones on. You stuck your tongue out as you watched the back of his head.

You knew you were acting childish, but Tsukishima just got on your nerves for no reason at all. From the moment you met, he has only constantly provoked and annoyed you. Judging by his interaction with the other first-years, however, it was obvious that Tsukishima’s attitude did not sit well with Hinata and Kageyama as well.

The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes before reaching another street. You spotted Yamaguchi from a distance, and when Tsukishima neared him, the freckled boy gave a curious glance between you and the blond.

“Good morning, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi said cheerfully, to which his friend responded with a less enthusiastic murmur. “Good morning to you too, [L/N]-san!” You returned the greeting. “I didn’t know you two became friends already…” Yamaguchi trailed off, uncertainty clear in his voice.

“We’re not,” both yourself and Tsukishima denied simultaneously. You glared at him while he did the same to you.

“She lives next door,” Tsukishima answered, “unfortunately.”

“Hey! I didn’t choose to live next to you, four eyes! If anything, I’m the unlucky one here!” you protested.

Tsukishima gave you a bored look, while Yamaguchi laughed awkwardly as he watched the two of you bicker. “Whatever,” was Tsukishima’s last comment before he started walking away. He stayed ahead of you and Yamaguchi as the three of you continued your way to school.

The boy next to you gave you a small, tight-lipped smile. “Please don’t mind Tsukki. He’s not much of a morning person,” he told you, trying to justify his friend’s behaviour.

“He has been nothing but rude to me since we’ve met. I’m pretty sure this has nothing to do with the time,” you scoffed with displeasure. The middle blocker beside you let out another uneasy laugh. You felt bad for Yamaguchi. It was not your intention to make him uncomfortable, especially when the boy genuinely seemed like a sweet and kind person.

So instead, you changed the topic. “So, you like playing volleyball?” you asked. It was the first thing that came to mind since you were on your way to practice, and you figured talking about the sport would turn the conversation away from a certain vexing blond boy.

Yamaguchi nodded shyly, raising his hand to scratch the back of his neck. “How did you get started?” you asked again.

“Tsukki was the one who got me into volleyball, actually!” he said brightly, his words catching you off guard. Your plan to turn the conversation away from Tsukishima has failed. “When we were in elementary school, I used to get teased a lot for my freckles and for being scrawny. One day, Tsukki happened to walk by when I was getting bullied by some boys in the park, and he saved me by calling them ‘pathetic’,” Yamaguchi said as he recalled what happened.

“Even though I know I was also included in Tsukki’s insult, I thought he looked so cool! Despite being by himself, he stood up for me against three other boys. Since that day, I made it my goal to become as cool as Tsukki.” As Yamaguchi spoke, a tender smile grew on his face.

“I wanted to join a sports club, and volleyball seemed like a safe option in comparison to soccer and basketball, where all the other players looked big and scary,” he continued to explain, before adding with a short laugh, “though now I know that volleyball players are just as big and scary too.”

Of course, you were ticked off when you heard that he was bullied for something out of his control; but, the fact that Tsukishima of all people came to Yamaguchi’s aid surprised you the most out of his story, to say the least. Although the circumstances were different, you were reminded of when Tsukishima ‘helped’ you get out of that sticky confrontation with Erika.

Your thoughts must have shown on your face, for Yamaguchi chuckled gently. “It might not seem like it, but Tsukki is a really nice person,” he said, “just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll eventually warm up to you!”

You forced the sides of your lips to curl up. “We’ll see,” you replied stiffly.

Soon, the three of you arrived behind the gymnasium. Tsukishima walked up the stairs to the club room without looking back. On the other hand, Yamaguchi gave you a small wave before jogging to catch up with his friend.

You slowly made your way to the gymnasium by yourself. When you walked in, Shimizu and the rest of the third years had already arrived and were setting up the net.

“[Y/N]-chan?” Shimizu called out when she saw you. “I thought I told you that you don’t need to attend morning practise until you become the official manager?”

You nodded. “It’s fine, I want to help out as much as possible,” you lied.

The third-year manager smiled and thanked you before asking you to help fill out the water bottles. As you walked out of the gymnasium with the empty bottles in hand, you watched the rest of the volleyball team arrive excitingly, all of them yelling enthusiastic greetings at you as they walked past you.

You returned the greetings with a polite smile, but in the back of your mind, you were apologising to each of them as you remembered the real reason why you were here.


	12. Chapter Eleven

You spotted Yachi entering the classroom shortly after you. She looked rather disheartened. Even when she accidentally bumped into one of your classmates, instead of the usual loud and clear apology, she simply walked away wordlessly.

Her state of distraction continued throughout the day, you noticed.

When the bell that signalled the end of the school day rang, she absent-mindedly packed her bags as you watched her worriedly. Without waiting for you, she walked out of the classroom, causing you to jog after her.

“Yachi-san!” you called out without getting a response. Without a second thought, you placed a hand on her shoulder, startling the girl and finally bringing her out of her thoughts.

“[L/N]-san! What’s wrong?” she asked, clearly shocked that you approached her first.

“Did something happen?” you asked her instead.

She tried to laugh it off. “N-nothing happened!”

You raised a brow, unconvinced by her answer, but eventually decided not to press on. Everyone has their own worries, and there was no point in forcing someone to share their problems — particularly when you two were not friends to begin with.

“Why do you want to become a manager for the team, [L/N]-san?” Yachi asked you all of a sudden as the two of you headed towards the girls’ changing room.

You almost tripped over your feet out of surprise, but quickly composed yourself. “Volleyball seems fun, I guess. But I prefer watching the sport than playing it, so…” you told her. You were not lying to her, but your words were not the entire truth either.

“Do you know much about volleyball?” she asked again.

You shook your head. “Only the basics,” you answered.

“Do you think it’s rude for me to join as a manager when I know nothing about the sport?” she asked again, this time her voice noticeably more meek. Before you could say a word, however, she shook her head rapidly. “Forget I asked you that!”

She opened the door to the girls’ changing room and rushed in, with you following close behind. You began to strip out of your school uniform and changed into a more comfortable outfit for practice. From the corner of your eye, you could see Yachi staring at the club application form, seemingly deep in thought.

You wondered if she decided not to join the volleyball team after all. Based on her question from earlier, you got the impression that she was still unsure if this was the right thing to do.

You knew you were not in any position to say anything — especially when your real intention behind becoming a manager was completely out of self-interest. But, it would be great if Yachi would become a manager. That way, even if you were gone, at least the team would still have her around.

The sound of the opening door brought you out of your thoughts as Shimizu walked in. You greeted her politely as she returned the greeting with a small smile. The third-year manager placed her stuff in one of the lockers and started changing out of her uniform as well. She caught sight of the blonde girl beside you, who was still lost in her thoughts.

“Is something troubling you?” she asked. Yachi jumped with fright, so absorbed in her thoughts that she completely missed Shimizu’s entrance. “By the way,” Shimizu continued to speak as she removed her top, “I did play sports, but I had no prior experience with volleyball or being a manager.”

Yachi turned around to face the third-year directly, paying close attention to her words. “I don’t think everyone has to like something before giving it a try,” Shimizu added. “I don’t think you need an unwavering will or lofty motive just to get started. Sometimes, things that you start on a whim end up becoming very important to you, too. To get started, I think you just need a little bit of curiosity.”

As she finished speaking, she turned to face the two of you with a warm smile on her face. You froze in your spot as you tried to comprehend her words in your head.

Her words were directed at the visibly troubled girl beside you. However, you could not help but feel as though the third-year was indirectly aiming her words at you as well — as if she had read your mind and knew what your true motivation was.

You swiftly broke eye contact with her. “Y-yeah, I agree,” you said, your voice breaking ever so slightly. You cleared your throat, before adding, “to be honest, I said yes to Takeda-sensei’s offer on a whim because I wanted to get him off my back. But now, I’m glad I decided to give this opportunity a try.”

You offered the two girls a smile — one that you hoped was charming enough to cover up the anxiousness in your eyes. Shimizu giggled in response. “Takeda-sensei can be quite persistent sometimes, but his determination has played a huge part in the team’s improvement,” she said. She gave your shoulder a gentle pat. “But thank you for being honest about why you joined, [Y/N]-chan. I’m sure you’ll be a great manager!”

You faked yet another smile at her comment.

Shimizu urged Yachi to get changed as well. Afterwards, she led the way to practice as the two of you followed close behind. “We have a practice match with another school today, so practice time might run longer than usual,” the manager told you as the group neared the gym. The two of you nodded understandingly.

“Ouginishi will arrive at half-past four!” Shimizu announced to the team once the three of you arrived. A number of ‘yes’s and ‘right’s answered across the gym. The manager turned back towards you two. “All right, Hitoka-chan, [Y/N]-chan. Would you line up some chairs around the court there?” she asked. “Let’s see… Eight of them.”

“Okay,” the two of you replied.

“If they’re heavy, one at a time is fine,” she reminded as she opened one of the storage cabinets located under the stage, revealing the folding chairs.

She started pulling the chairs out and grabbed two chairs out as if they weigh nothing. You stared in shock, her strength surprising you.

You, on the other hand, simply took one chair out and followed her. “Eh? The Queen is moving chairs for us?” a familiar voice remarked behind you.

“Why don’t you go back to doing your own thing instead of annoying me, four eyes?” you grumbled without sparing the blond player a glance.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Tsukishima said mockingly before walking away.


	13. Chapter Twelve

After practice was over, you stood outside the gym with Yachi as you waited for Shimizu and the rest of the team to finish tidying up and changing.

“[L/N]-san,” Yachi said quietly, breaking the silence between the two of you. “Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun are coming over to my house tomorrow to study, and I was wondering if you would like to join us?”

You stared at her with wide-eyes, not expecting her invitation. She must have seen the surprise on your face, as she quickly raised her hands in defence. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to! I just thought it would be nice if you could study with us too! Also, I’m worried that I won’t be able to teach them well by myself! Ah, I don’t mean to sound as though I want to force the responsibility on you! But—”

“Calm down!” you told her, successfully putting an end to her rambling. “You know, you don’t have to feel compelled to befriend me or spend time with me outside of class.”

“That’s not it,” she said, a glint of determination in her eyes. However, the boldness disappeared as soon as it emerged, and she looked down at her fidgeting fingers. “I really admire you, [L/N]-san,” Yachi confessed. “You’re not afraid to stand up for yourself and you know what your goals are. Despite what the people around us say about you or your family, I know you’ve worked hard for your achievements. A townsperson B like me will never be able to do the same, and that’s why I look up to you.”

Her little monologue left you speechless. You would have never expected Yachi to speak to you in such a straightforward manner. Knowing how timid and shy your fellow first-year was, it must have taken her a lot to muster up the courage and tell you everything that she had just said.

Everyone around you has been looking down at you because of what happened with your father. You knew it was partly your fault that your first impression on your classmates had been so bad, but you had never expected your reputation to become the way it was now.

Yachi’s words caught you off guard, but not in a bad way. For some reason that you could not explain, her words had touched you.

And despite knowing that she would soon be disappointed once she found out the truth behind you joining the volleyball team, you found yourself saying, “I’ll join.” Taking your phone out of your pocket, you handed the device to her. “Give me your number,” you said.

With shaky hands, she typed in her number. You added her to your contacts before giving her a call. Her phone rang and she took it out of her bag. “Now you have my number too. Text me your address later.” Yachi nodded.

The sound of chattering neared you as the volleyball team members arrived.

“Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun, [L/N]-san is joining us tomorrow as well!” Yachi immediately told the duo about the news.

Hinata’s face lit up. “Really? Thank you so much, [L/N]-san!” he exclaimed excitedly. Kageyama, on the other hand, simply nodded in acknowledgement.

“What? Is the Queen going to hang out with the Simpleton Idiots?” Tsukishima chimed in all of a sudden. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said to you, “you’ll turn into an idiot too.”

“Shut up, Stingyshima!” Hinata yelled as he pointed a finger at the blond player. “It’s your fault that we have to trouble Yachi-san and [L/N]-san!”

With his nose in the air, Tsukishima smirked. “It’s not my fault that you’re stupid,” he said with a condescending sneer. Yamaguchi snickered at his best friend’s remark.

Hinata rolled the sleeves of his jacket up, ready to fight the taller player. However, Sawamura cleared his throat loudly behind him, causing the orange-haired boy to pause his actions at once.

“Must be nice to be tutored by cute girls, Shoyo!” Nishinoya commented, giving the boy a thumbs up.

Tanaka nodded aggressively in agreement. “Yeah! Why do we get Ennoshita as our tutor?” he asked with dissatisfaction. At the mention of his name, Ennoshita glared at his fellow second-years. “I know what we should do, Noya-san! We should ask Kiyoko-san to tutor us!”

“No,” Shimizu immediately rejected without sparing a glance at the second-year. Turning her attention towards you and Yachi, she said, “let’s go.”

Behind you, you could hear Tanaka and Nishinoya groaning loudly, yet at the same time yelling something about how cool the third-year manager was.

Sawamura, Sugawara and Azumane walked in front of you. The third-year setter turned around. “Thank you for helping tutor our idiots, [L/N]-san, Yachi-san!” he said as he grinned brightly.

The captain also nodded. “Sorry we have to bother you with such a heavy task when you two haven’t even joined the team yet.”

Soon, the team parted ways as everyone lived in different directions. You spotted Tsukishima and Yamaguchi walking behind you from a distance, and waited patiently. When Tsukishima caught sight of you, a smirk immediately appeared on his face. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Majesty. You know you didn’t have to wait for us, right?” he said mockingly.

“Would you stop that?” you asked, annoyance clear in your voice.

“Can’t even take a joke?” he asked you back sarcastically.

You gave him a dirty look. “I prefer you when you’re playing on the court. You’re less annoying.”

“And I prefer not being surrounded by idiots. But we can’t have what we want, can we?” he retorted. Without waiting for your reply, he put his headphones on. You cursed him out in your head as you shot daggers at him. He simply ignored you with a roll of his eyes.

Giving up, you turned to Yamaguchi, who stayed silent as he observed the exchange between the two of you. “See? I told you it’s not because he’s not a morning person.”

He winced, remembering the conversation from this morning. “Are you studying with the other first-years tomorrow?” he asked instead, trying to divert the conversation away from the blond boy strolling ahead of you two.

“Yeah,” you answered. An idea suddenly popped up in your mind. “You should come, too!”

Yamaguchi shook his head in rejection straight away. “I wasn’t invited in the first place…” he mumbled, almost sounding disappointed.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind! You’re not an asshole like Tsukishima,” you said. Yamaguchi was the person who first recommended the other first-years to talk to you and Yachi in the first place, so it only made sense to invite him to join.

The freckled-boy flashed you a tight-lipped smile. “It’s fine, [L/N]-san. Besides, I have something to do in town tomorrow afternoon,” he told you. Without waiting for your reply, he pointed towards another street. “I’m going this way. See you on Monday, [L/N]-san, Tsukki!” He waved before going his own way.

You waved back as you stole a side glance at Tsukishima, only to see him continue walking without looking back. ‘ _ How rude, _ ’ you thought.

The two of you continued home without speaking to each other. When you arrived at your front door, you watched as Tsukishima entered his house without saying another word to you.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Between studying, chatting with Yachi, and watching Hinata and Kageyama argue, the group study session went by much quicker than you expected. Before you knew, the skies turned orange and the sun was setting as the group got ready to leave.

“Man, you two are lifesavers!” Hinata praised eagerly as the four of you stood at the entrance of the apartment building that Yachi lived in. “Thanks for helping us study on a Saturday!”

“Thanks,” Kageyama said as well, bowing slightly in appreciation.

Yachi smiled shyly. “Sure. Let’s do our best on the exam.”

You nodded in agreement. “Don’t let us down,” you added.

The elevator door behind Yachi opened, and her mother came into view. “Oh, thanks for having us,” Hinata said politely.

The elegant woman stood next to her daughter and smiled. “No problem. Was she a good teacher?”

“Yeah! I’m gonna ace that exam for sure now!” Hinata answered with motivation, his reply causing you and Yachi to make eye contact as a smile of relief tugged on both your lips. “I think!” The smile on your faces immediately turned into a grimace upon hearing his last remark.

“Or rather, I won’t let Yachi-san and [L/N]-san’s kindness go to waste!” he further stated. In front of you, Yachi blushed as she looked away, flustered by Hinata’s unexpected words. You felt your cheeks heat up as well, and you bit on your lip to stop the smile that was trying to break out on your face.

One thing you learned from spending the afternoon with Hinata was how earnest and genuine he was. When he says something, he means it from the bottom of his heart. It was not difficult to become fond of the orange-haired player, and you simply could not understand how Tsukishima could dislike the endearing boy.

Beside you, you could hear Kageyama mumbling to himself. “Kindness… ‘To have a caring heart’. A term used to express a caring attitude one has for another.” You stifled a laugh, remembering that it was one of the words that the group had studied earlier.

“I see. Good luck on your exam,” Yachi’s mother said. She then turned her attention towards you. “ [L/N]-san, thank you for coming today as well. Hitoka rarely invited people over, so it’s good to know that she does have friends at school.”

Her comment almost made you wince, but you managed to plant a polite smile on your face before your awkwardness was noticeable. “Thank you for having me,” you responded simply.

“Let’s go to Tokyo together, Yachi-san, [L/N]-san!” Hinata interjected excitedly. You watched as the smile on Yachi’s mother’s face turned into confusion at the sudden mention of Tokyo.

“Huh? R-right…” Yachi replied, the uncertainty in her voice as she sneaked a look at her mother made it clear to you that she has yet to talk to her parents about it.

Deciding to help the poor girl in the situation, you turned towards the boys. “It’s getting late. Should we go?”

They nodded. “See you next week!” Hinata said to Yachi with a wave. Yourself and Kageyama bowed as you took your leave. Yachi waved back hesitantly.

As the three of you walked away from the building, Hinata took out his notes and said, “Yachi-san’s notes are so awesome! Notes should always be like this!” Turning towards you, he grinned brightly. “And [L/N]-san! You’re so good at teaching! You’re definitely better at explaining than Stingyshima!”

The corner of your lips turned up at his compliment. It felt good to be praised, but hearing that you were better than a certain four-eyed boy made you even more content. “Thank you, Hinata-kun!” you beamed with pleasure.

“If you and Yachi-san join, we’ll have three managers! We totally sound like a champion school!” Hinata remarked as he looked at Kageyama, waiting for him to agree.

“Yeah,” the first-year setter said cooly.

Hinata frowned, realising that his teammate does not share the same enthusiasm as him. “What? You don’t want them to join?” he asked hurriedly.

“That’s totally up to them,” said Kageyama.

Hinata looked away with dissatisfaction. “You never agree with anything.” As he put away his notes, he made another comment. “You’re not very popular, are you?”

His words made the black-haired boy flinch. “Mind your own business!” Kageyama shouted angrily. You covered your mouth as you giggled at their exchange. They had a thing with riling each other up, you noticed.

Searching for something in his bag, Hinata suddenly froze in his spot. “Oh, crap! I forgot my textbook at Yachi-san’s house!” he yelled in panic. “I’m gonna go back and get it. See you, Kageyama, [L/N]-san!” he said before running back.

You waved goodbye before beginning to walk once again. Kageyama let out a yawn. “Studying must’ve tired you out,” you said, an attempt to start a conversation with the boy. He shrugged but said nothing.

Through your observation, you came to the conclusion that Kageyama was quieter and more reserved in comparison to Hinata. He did not seem to be particularly keen on socialising with others, so you were not offended by his lack of vocal response. You had no problem if he preferred to walk in silence since you could do with some rest after socialising throughout the entire afternoon.

So you were taken back when he spoke. “You’re from Tokyo, aren’t you?”

You nodded. “How’d you know?” you asked, then realised how stupid the question was once it left your lips.

Fortunately, Kageyama seemed indifferent to your response. “Heard it from the people in my class,” he said. After a pause, he added, “also, I remember you reacted when Hinata mentioned Nekoma the other day, so I just connected the dots.”

At the mention of your embarrassing breakdown, your cheeks flushed. “A-ah, right…” you chuckled awkwardly. “I didn’t think you were paying attention, much less remembered that…”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

You let out yet another nervous laugh. “No offence, but I thought you had no interest in anything outside of volleyball.”

“You’re right,” he said, “but it doesn’t mean I’m unaware as to what’s happening around me. I am a setter, after all.”

You were not sure what being a setter had to do with him paying attention to you. But you had to admit, you were impressed by his sharp observation skills. “I guess you’re not as slow-witted as I thought you were,” you said under your breath, the comment slipping out before you could stop yourself.

Kageyama’s eyes widened at your words — was it out of surprise or anger? You were about to apologise, but he spoke before you. “I may not be book-smart, but I’m not an airhead like dumbass Hinata,” he muttered with what looked like a small pout of displeasure.

You bit your tongue to prevent the comment about him and Hinata being similarly simple-headed from slipping out of your lips. Instead, you apologised with a sheepish smile.

His face returned to its usual state of impassiveness. “You’re not as unapproachable as they say,” he stated offhandedly.

“Thanks…?” you said, “you’re also not as aloof as I originally thought.”

“Aloof… ‘Not friendly or willing to take part in things’,” Kageyama whispered as he remembered the term from earlier, his reaction causing you to burst into laughter.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

You spotted Tsukishima coming from the opposite direction as you turned into the street you both lived on. You thought he was going to ignore you like he did yesterday. However, he decided to do the opposite today.

“Enjoyed your date with the King?” he asked once you were close enough.

“What?” you asked, confused.

“Yamaguchi said he saw you and the King in town, flirting like love-struck fools. Guess the whole group study thing was just for show, huh?” he said mockingly. You stared at him blankly, still having no idea what he was talking about. “Oh, I bet you only joined the team to get close to the King. Now that you’ve achieved your goal, why don’t you quit before things become more troublesome for us?”

“What?” you asked again.

“The King of the Court and the Ice Queen of Karasuno? You two would be the perfect match!” he scorned.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Who the fuck is the King of the Court?”

He smirked. “Of course I’m talking about Kageyama. Why? Were you in town with more than one guy today?”

You rolled your eyes at his words. “We were leaving Yachi-san’s house together after studying, four eyes. For someone who’s in college prep class, you sure are stupid as hell,” you berated, the smug smile on your face growing as you watched his face twist in anger when he realised his provocation has failed. “I’ll give you credits for your creativity though. Sounds like you read a lot of shojo manga,” you added tauntingly.

“You’ve become more annoying after hanging out with those idiots for an afternoon,” the blond boy stated, still not backing down.

Of course, you were not going to let him win this fight. “And you become more irritating with every passing second!”

“Well, you’re infuriating!”

“You’re aggravating!”

“You’re a bitch!”

“And you’re an assh—”

A loud gasp cut you off. “Tsukishima Kei!” a woman called out angrily. The volleyball player froze in fear, and you turned to see a woman with short, strawberry blonde hair storm towards the two of you. “That is no way to speak to people, never mind a young lady!”

The woman then turned her attention to you, an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m so sorry about my son,” she said. One glimpse behind you and her expression instantly brightened up. “Oh, you must be [Y/N]-chan! I haven’t seen you since you were this tall,” she exclaimed as she gestured to her waist. “You’ve grown into such a gorgeous lady!”

Your cheeks heated up in bashfulness at her words. “Thank you, Tsukishima-san,” you replied with a small voice.

You heard the blond boy snort in disgust, and his mother wasted no time to look back at him as she gave him a look of warning. Her attention returned to you once again as her expression softened. “Why don’t you come over for some tea? I baked a cake earlier this afternoon!” she invited excitedly.

You quickly shook your head, but she did not take no as an answer. “I was going to share some with your grandmother anyway! Just come over for a little while, yeah?” And without waiting for your reply, she turned around to unlock her front door. “Come in! Don’t be shy!”

Tsukishima glared at you, his eyes threatening you not to accept her invitation. Upon realising that, the corners of your lips curled up as you looked away from the boy to make eye contact with his mother. “If you insist, I’ll accept your kind offer,” you said.

She clapped her hands excitedly as you walked towards her without breaking eye contact with the middle blocker. You could tell that he was beyond annoyed that you said yes to his mother’s offer. The thought of you having the upper hand in the argument only made the sides of your lips curl up even further.

“Excuse me for disturbing!” you said in a sing-song tone as you entered the house, taking off your shoes at the entranceway of the Tsukishima household.

“Welcome, welcome!” the caring woman said as she placed a pair of indoor slippers in front of you. Tsukishima clicked his tongue loudly to show his irritation as he followed you into the house.

After taking off his shoes, Tsukishima was about to push past you to go upstairs when his mother blocked his way. “This is no way to treat a guest, Kei. I thought I taught you better than this,” she scolded with her hands on her waist.

“She’s your guest, not mine,” Tsukishima refuted.

His mother clicked her tongue as well. “And she’s your classmate. So don’t be rude and go sit with her in the living room while I go prepare the cake.” Without even giving Tsukishima the time to argue back, she made her way into the kitchen.

You could definitely see where Tsukishima got his stubbornness from.

Tsukishima groaned out loud. He sent a death glare in your direction. “You know what? You are truly a fucking idiot,” he snapped in a hushed voice.

You giggled, unbothered. “I wouldn’t say that if I were you, four eyes. One wrong move and I’m telling your mother all the things you’ve said to me.” You watched as the blond boy in front of you clenched his jaw and balled his fists up in anger. His reaction only fueled your amusement.

He turned around abruptly and slammed the door open. Without waiting for you, he stormed into the living room. Once again, you let out a giggle as you watched Tsukishima, before trailing behind him. He flung his body onto the couch and spread himself out all over the furniture, leaving no space for you to sit on.

‘ _ It’s not like I want to sit anywhere near him anyway, _ ’ you thought to yourself as you sat down on the floor, the coffee table between the two of you.

Tsukishima reached for the remote and turned on the television, flicking through the channels. The sound from the device replaced the awkward silence in the room, much to your relief.

However, that relief soon turned into a source of irritation as the volleyball player continued to flick through the channels for an entire minute.

“Just choose one channel already,” you snapped, finally having enough of the flashing screen.

“If you’re so annoyed, why don’t you get out? This is my home, and nobody’s forcing you to stay,” he said without looking at you. Just from the smirk in his voice, you could tell that he was doing this on purpose to get on your nerves.

“Kei! Sit up!” Tsukishima’s mother commanded as she entered the living room, breaking up the argument between the two of you. Tsukishima obeyed her orders obediently without complaints. “[Y/N]-chan, take a seat, please!”

As you took a seat on the couch, Tsukishima’s mother placed two pieces of cake and two cups of tea on the coffee table. “I baked some strawberry shortcake because it’s Kei’s favourite!” she revealed.

Her words caused you to glance at the said boy, who moved as far away from you on the couch as possible. He was clearly embarrassed by his mother’s sudden revelation, as his whole face flushed — even the tips of his ears turned bright red.

“Mum!” he cried, mortified.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

“Oh, look at the time! I better start preparing dinner now. You two carry on talking!” Mrs Tsukishima announced as she stood up from the floor.

At the mention of being alone with Tsukishima again, you immediately sprung up from your seat as well. “I should leave now…” you trailed off, your voice becoming quieter as the woman shot you a look.

“You don’t have to!” she quickly said as she urged you to sit back down. “You haven’t even finished your piece of cake yet! Kei will accompany you, don’t worry!”

The blond boy groaned in complaint at his mother’s words. However, one stern look from her and he straightened up without hesitation. Despite her kind and welcoming personality, you could tell that she could be very strict when necessary. ‘ _ Either that or Tsukishima’s a mama’s boy, _ ’ you thought to yourself, nearly snickering out loud.

When Tsukishima’s mother left the two of you alone, the room became awkwardly silent once again.

A silence that did not last for long, as Tsukishima’s voice broke it right away.

“Hurry up and finish your cake and go home,” he demanded, his voice dripping in annoyance.

You purposely slowed down your actions at his words, wearing a smirk on your face as you made direct eye contact with him. Even though you wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, you would do the exact opposite just to spite the middle blocker in front of you.

He glared at you as you slowly chewed on the cake in your mouth, deliberately humming out loud in content. “This is so delicious!” you moaned, “no wonder why strawberry shortcake is your favourite food!”

Tsukishima’s face turned bright red, both out of embarrassment and anger. “Shut the fuck up,” he hissed through his teeth.

You let out a dramatic gasp. “What was that?” you asked tauntingly. “Did you just curse at me again?” One glance at the door in which his mother walked out of and the blond promptly froze. His reaction only made the side of your lips curl up even further in amusement.

The two of you stared angrily at each other without saying another word. Tsukishima’s eyes had a threatening look in them — as if he was challenging you to make another move. You glared menacingly back at him.

At that moment, you realised this was the first time you were properly looking at the volleyball player. Yes, you have ‘looked’ at him before; but never face to face in such a close distance.

And as much as you hated to admit it, Tsukishima Kei was one attractive looking boy. With his short blond hair, golden-brown eyes and pale skin — not to mention that blessed height and slim built of his — he could easily be mistaken as a model.

What a shame that he had such a rotten personality and temper.

After what felt like minutes, Tsukishima finally looked away. You bit your lips to suppress that victorious smile from appearing on your face.

“Why do you insist on getting on my nerves?” you asked, genuinely out of curiosity.

The boy raised an eyebrow at you as he looked at you judgmentally. “Me? Getting on your nerves? You are the one who keeps testing my patience and driving me up the walls ever since we first met!”

You frowned. He had been nothing but rude and mean to you since day one. He was the one who started all this quarrel between the two of you. So why is he trying to push the blame on you now? “You were the one who acted like an asshole first!” you told him, “I simply returned the favour, that’s all.”

You watched as Tsukishima tilted his head to one side, confusion on his face. “You were the one who started this! I got your ass out of that conflict between you and that girl from your class, and all you did was act like an ungrateful bitch, telling me to ‘mind your own fucking business’ and then going on to start an argument with me every time we see each other.”

Now it was you who was puzzled. “What?” you asked.

“Did I stutter? Or is your head so up in your ass that you don’t even remember that happening? It’s probably the second, isn’t it? You think you’re so much better than us just because you’re from a big city? Well, guess what? Just because you’re the Queen of Karasuno doesn’t mea—”

“Shut the fuck up for a second, four eyes!” you screeched, cutting Tsukishima off. “You’re the one who needs to get your head out of your ass!”

Tsukishima glared at you, before motioning to the door, reminding you that his mother was right next door. Your eyes widened in realisation at how loud you were being, and you clapped your hand over your mouth immediately. You took a deep breath to calm yourself down, before removing your hand from your face.

“As I was saying,” you continued, “you’re the one who started it. The locker incident was not the first time we met.”

The blond boy rolled his eyes. “No shit, Sherlock. We were supposedly ‘childhood friends’. But I have no memory of that whatsoever, so that doesn’t count.”

You gave him a deadpan look. “You’re still wrong. I don’t remember that either. But the first time we met was when you bumped into me in the corridor a week after I arrived. And instead of apologising like a normal person, you told me, ‘watch where you’re going’.”

“That didn’t happen.”

“Yes, it did.”

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You totally just made that up.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re a liar and you refuse to admit that you’re wrong.”

You were left speechless at Tsukishima’s words. It was one thing to keep getting under your skin, but accusing you of lying was uncalled for.

“Take that back,” you ordered solemnly.

“Why should I do that?” Tsukishima asked, though you could tell he was visibly taken back by the sudden seriousness in your voice.

Your gaze hardened. “I would never lie and twist the truth just to win an argument.”

“Fine,” Tsukishima said promptly, “I take that back.”

“Thank you,” you told him, your shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. You did not take notice of how tense your whole body had been. At the sight of your body finally easing, Tsukishima also relaxed a bit.

“Did I really bump into you in the corridor though?” he asked calmly. You nodded in response. “Okay.”

“No ‘sorry’ or ‘my apologies’?” you questioned, though this time your tone was distinctly more humorous and playful.

“Well, I can’t exactly apologise for something I don’t remember doing,” Tsukishima replied with a shrug.

Although he did not exactly apologise for what happened, the fact that he asked you that question meant that he probably felt bad for not remembering the incident. Also, there was no point in continuing this quarrel between the two of you anyway.

Deciding that his answer was good enough, you held your hand out. He looked at you questioningly. You shook your head in feign disappointment before grabbing his hand and grasping it in yours — or more like his large hands grasping yours. Briefly shaking your intertwined hands up-and-down, the two of you shook hands.

“I guess we were both rubbing each other in the wrong way because of a misunderstanding. But now that everything’s been cleared up, let’s start anew,” you said with a small smile, your gaze meeting his firmly. “I’m [L/N] [Y/N] from class five. I’m looking forward to working with you both on the volleyball team and as neighbours!”

Tsukishima had a bored look on his face but fortunately played along to your skit. “Tsukishima Kei, class four. I’ll be in your care, Queen.”


	17. Chapter Sixteen

You should have known that things would not suddenly become friendly between you and Tsukishima.

“You look awful,” was the first thing he said to you when you stepped out of your house on Monday morning.

You sent him a glare. “Shut up,” you mumbled tiredly. After spending the majority of Saturday studying with the other first-years and then the afternoon at the Tsukishima household, you ended up having to do all of your own studying and homework on Sunday (and you totally did not wake up late in the afternoon as opposed to the morning as you had planned).

“Okay, I guess we’re back to being uncivil with each other,” the middle blocker responded jokingly, though you swore you saw a flicker of worry in his eyes when he scanned your face.

The two of you began your journey to school without another word. The silence was somewhat comforting, you realised. You remembered Yamaguchi telling you that the blond was not much of a morning person, and you were the same.

You had expected him to walk ahead of you, or at least put on his headphones like he did the last time the two of you walked to school together. Instead, the headphones stayed on around his neck and his pace was slower than usual — almost as if he was trying to match his pace with yours.

His little gesture warmed your heart a bit. He may not have said it out loud, but his actions have shown that he was fine with the two of you being friends.

Soon, the other first-year came into sight. He smiled brightly as he waved at you both. “Good morning!” Yamaguchi greeted cheerfully. “[L/N]-san, are you alright? You look tired!” the freckled-boy asked, concern written all over his face.

“I’m fine,” you answered, though on the inside you were freaking out. You thought Tsukishima was being his usual annoying self when he told you you looked awful. But if even Yamaguchi had noticed how tired you looked, you wondered just how ghastly you looked.

You heard Tsukishima let out a laugh beside you, causing you to send him a curious look. “Told you you look awful,” he smirked, making you roll your eyes at his comment.

“I get it, I get it. Just drop it already,” was your reply, having no energy to bicker with the volleyball player this morning.

Again, you swore a flash of worry on the middle blocker’s face when you did not react in your usual manner. However, he quickly changed the topic before you could call him out. “Let’s go, don’t wanna be late.”

Like last time, Tsukishima put on his headphones and walked ahead of you, letting you and Yamaguchi converse with one another.

“So, how did the tutoring go?” he asked.

You remembered how disappointed Yamaguchi sounded when you invited him to come along, saying that he was not invited in the first place. So you decided to spare him the details about what happened during the study session, and simply told him it was alright. “You should definitely come next time,” you added encouragingly.

Suddenly, you recalled Tsukishima’s words from Saturday, when he confronted you about going on a ‘date’ with Kageyama. If you had remembered correctly, Tsukishima said Yamaguchi was the one who saw you two in town together.

“Were you in town on Saturday as well?” you asked him. Yamaguchi nodded hesitantly. “Why did you tell Tsukishima you saw Kageyama and I flirting in town? Which, by the way, was not true whatsoever.”

Your question caught him off guard as he stumbled a little. “What? I didn’t say that!” he defended, just as shocked as you were when Tsukishima first accused you of the same thing. “I only told Tsukki that I saw you and Kageyama in town, and the two of you looked like you have gotten quite close with each other!”

Your attention was immediately turned to the blond boy who was walking in front of you. You glared at the back of his head as you mumbled to yourself, “then why did Tsukishima say that?”

The boy beside you was clearly as confused as you were.

As if he could feel your gaze on him, the middle blocker turned his head to look back at the two of you, his gaze met with yours at once. “What? ‘Gotten quite close with each other’ and ‘flirting like love-struck fools’ are the same things worded differently, anyways” he said nonchalantly as if he did not just eavesdrop your conversation with his friend.

“You heard everything?” you asked in shock. “I thought you were listening to your shitty music!”

Caught in the act, Tsukishima turned away from you, facing forward once again. “You two talk too loud,” was his explanation, but you knew for a fact that the two of you spoke in a normal volume — meaning that he would not have been able to hear your conversation with music playing through his headphones.

Unless…

“You weren’t listening to music, were you?” you teased, skipping swiftly to catch up with the middle blocker. He refused to make eye contact with you, looking forward as if you were not in front of him. “You should’ve said so if you wanted to join our conversation so badly, four eyes!”

He scoffed in annoyance. “Don’t be stupid.”

You faked a pout, looking up at the tall volleyball player with feigned sadness in your eyes. “Damn, you’re so mean, Tsukki!” You heard Yamaguchi stifle a laugh behind his friend. “Yamaguchi-kun, I told you Tsukki hates me!”

With a hand on the top of your head, the blond boy pushed you away. “Stop it,” he demanded, though his voice was not as harsh as it was last week — and you took it as a sign that it was alright to joke around with Tsukshima like this.

Yamaguchi placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Don’t be shy, Tsukki!” the freckled boy joined in on the fun, causing Tsukishima to let out a loud groan of annoyance.

“Not you too,” he protested, pushing Yamaguchi’s hand off his shoulder. Yamaguchi laughed, already used to his best friend’s reaction. “You’re a bad influence on Yamaguchi, Queen,” he added with a grumble as he gave you a stern look.

You shrugged. “Don’t mind, four eyes!”

And with that last comment, you arrived on campus. You quickly ran away before Tsukishima could say another word, rushing to the girls’ changing room. When you entered the room, Shimizu and Yachi had already arrived and gotten changed.

“Good morning!” you greeted them cheerfully, the two of them could not hide their shock at your unusual cheeriness.

“You’re in good spirits this morning. Did something good happen?” Shimizu asked curiously.

You giggled. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

The third-year manager did not press on the matter further, but the warm look in her eyes told you that she was glad that you were enjoying yourself.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

You watched as the hand of the clock reached twelve, just as the school bell rang, signalling the end of your exams. “Times up! Pens down, please!” announced Takeda-sensei. You heard a few groans from the students around you, while others let out sighs of relief.

“No talking yet! Not until I’ve collected everyone’s papers!” he warned sternly, causing everyone to immediately straighten up in their seats.

You received the test papers from the students behind you before adding your own to the pile, passing it on to the person in front of you. After the teacher had collected everyone’s tests, he thanked everyone for their good work before dismissing the class.

The moment he walked out of the classroom, everyone around you jumped out of their seats at once to discuss their test answers. You, on the other hand, simply packed away your stuff in your seat quietly.

Truth be told, other than Yachi, you still have yet to befriend any of your classmates, nor have you interacted much with them unless necessary. Fortunately, it seems that the rumours and gossips about you have decreased in number since you have kept to yourself most of the time. Sure, you felt lonely at times, especially during break time and lunchtime, but the peace of being left alone was something you have come to enjoy — which had surprised you.

It was a complete opposite to how you would spend your time between lessons when you were in Tokyo. You were always surrounded by your friends, and everyone paid attention to every single word you spoke: whether it was the juicy details about your work or just meaningless small talks, people were always watching and listening.

Now, people still had their focus on you — just for completely different reasons. Instead of watching you with admiration, respect, and awe, they were observing you with pity, unease, and nervousness — as if they were waiting for you to snap at them at any given moment.

Which was why the time before and after school had now become your favourite parts of the day.

You were out of the prying eyes of your schoolmates, you could interact with the members of the volleyball team without having to worry about unnecessary things; but more than anything, you felt like you were finally wanted somewhere.

It was reassuring, in a way. It was a different kind of ‘want’ compared to your life in Tokyo. Back home, girls wanted to be your friends, boys wanted to date you, designers and brands wanted you to model for them, magazines and television shows wanted to cast you. Here in Karasuno, you felt unwelcomed no matter where you went, and the only people that made you feel like you were wanted was the volleyball team.

They did not care about your background, or your family issues, or your looks (except for Tanaka and Nishinoya, but that was part of their charm as well, and you came to enjoy their attentiveness for yourself and the other managers). All they wanted was your support, your assistance and your contribution to the team.

And while you had enjoyed their company and was more than happy to be able to help them, you could always feel a sense of guilt when you remembered your true intentions behind becoming a manager. ‘ _ But it can’t be helped, _ ’ you thought to yourself every time that pang of guilt hits you, ‘ _ this is the only way that I can go home, back to where I truly belong. _ ’ 

“Are you ready to go?” Yachi’s voice brought you out of your thoughts. You quickly nodded and stood up from your seat. Yachi waved goodbye to her friends before the two of you exited the classroom, heading towards the girls’ changing room together.

“How did your test go?” your fellow first-year manager asked.

“I think it went well. I finished the test with fifteen minutes to spare in the end,” you told her with a small smile.

Yachi’s eyes widened in shock. “Fifteen minutes? That’s a quarter of the time that we were given! No wonder why you’re a top scorer in our year!” she exclaimed with astonishment.

You let out a shy giggle at her comment. Being able to keep your grades up while working as a model has always been something that you took pride in, so to still be one of the students with the best grades in Karasuno was something that you were pleased about.

You returned the question to Yachi. “My test went well too, I think. Tutoring Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun really helped me memorise the material!” she said. Speaking of the two first-year volleyball players, you also asked her about the poster that she has been working on with the duo. The grin on her smile widened, and with a twinkle in her eyes, she told you excitedly that someone had called and asked about the donation.

“That’s awesome!” you remarked, genuinely happy for Yachi and the team. You noticed that her confidence had gradually been growing ever since she started working on the poster. It warmed your heart as you watched her progress, and at the same time, it set your mind at rest knowing that even after Shimizu had graduated and you had returned home, the volleyball team would still be in good hands.

You knew that Yachi would be a splendid manager.

* * *

Sugawara called for the members of the volleyball team to gather around, the boys coming to stand in front of you, Yachi and Sawamura.

“The exam is over,” the captain said. “From today onwards, Yachi and [L/N] will officially join us as managers!”

The third-year manager stepped forward, holding two black tracksuits with ‘KARASUNO VOLLEYBALL CLUB’ written at the back of the jacket. She handed you both the piece of clothing that signifies your position on the team.

The captain cleared his throat, before yelling, “and go!”

“Welcome to Karasuno Volleyball club!” the rest of the team cheered excitedly, their backs facing you to reveal the same tracksuit that you had in hand. A shiver ran down your spine as you watched the boys in front of you welcoming the two of you with bright grins, and you felt like you finally found a place where you belonged — even if it was only temporarily.

You caught sight of a particular blond who stood out of the crowd for not doing the same pose as the rest of the team. Your eyes met his momentarily, and he simply gave you a small nod before looking away.

You felt the sides of your lips tug up ever so slightly. Tsukishima may not be showing the same enthusiasm as his teammates, but that small exchange was proof that he acknowledges you joining as the team’s new manager.

“Thank you for having me!” Yachi greeted loudly beside you, accompanied with a bow. You quickly joined her with your own greeting, clutching the tracksuit close to your chest as you did so.

“All right, there’s still some time before the away games in Tokyo,” Sawamura continued, “what’s left is exam results.” At the mention of exams, you heard several groans from the crowd. The team captain called for practice to begin before the mood went down even further, and the boys swiftly complied, excited to finally start practising without having to study afterwards.

As Shimizu was about to say something to Yachi and yourself, the door behind you opened, revealing Takeda-sensei. “Sorry, may I speak to [L/N]-san for a moment?” he asked.

You glanced at Shimizu for permission, to which she replied with a small, encouraging smile. “Of course,” she said to the faculty advisor.

Takeda-sensei thanked the third-year before pulling you aside. “Is there a problem?” you asked him worriedly.

“First of all, I just wanted to say thank you for agreeing to join the team,” he began. “About the Tokyo away games, you’re the only member left who hasn’t submitted the agreement form yet.”

“I-I thought that I would be able to go as long as I become an official member…” you trailed off, a feeling of uneasiness creeping up on you.

The teacher shook his head. “You will need your guardian to sign an agreement form. We will be staying overnight in Tokyo, so their permission is required. If they say no, you, unfortunately, won’t be able to go with us.”

You froze at his words. There was no way your mother would sign that form if she knew that the away games were going to be in Tokyo. You had to figure something out as soon as possible. You could not let this chance of finally going back home slip away from you.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

“No,” Tsukishima said without a second of hesitation.

“But why?” you asked him, frustration clear in your voice. “Don’t you want me, your dear friend, to go?”

The blond scoffed. “I couldn’t care less.”

Turning your attention to the freckled boy behind you, you noticed him immediately avoiding eye contact with you. “Yamag—”

“Sorry, [L/N]-san,” Yamaguchi cut you off before you could even say his name. “If Tsukki says no, then I’m gonna have to say no, too.”

You let out an exaggerated sigh of disappointment. “But why not?” you whined, not caring how childish you were acting at the moment. You were certain that your mother would not let you go to the away games if you asked her, so your strategy was to get one of the team members to convince her.

“Why don’t you ask Yachi-san or Shimizu-senpai? I’m sure they would be more than happy to talk to your mother for you,” Yamaguchi suggested kindly. You grimaced at his idea. You have considered asking Shimizu for help, but you did not want to burden her with that responsibility — especially when you have an ulterior motive as to why you must go to Tokyo.

You could not possibly hurt Shimizu that way, not when she has done nothing but be kind to you.

“Because it’s more convincing if an actual member of the volleyball team told my mother how important it is for me to go with the team,” you tried to justify.

Tsukishima, once again, scoffed. “Your reasoning is stupid.”

You glared at him. “You not helping a friend out is stupid,” you retorted, even though you knew he was right.

“How is not helping a friend being stupid? Your argument is stupid,” Tsukishima said in response.

“You’re stupid, four eyes.”

“Is this really the attitude that you should be having when you’re practically begging us to help you?”

Reaching his street, Yamaguchi bid farewell and left the two of you alone without looking back. He wanted to help you — or at least try to help you convince his best friend to help you out — but he knew that it was useless. Once the freckled boy was out of sight, you turned to Tsukishima again. This time, putting on your best puppy face that always got you what you wanted.

“Pretty please?” you asked, tugging on Tsukishima’s shirt.

He impatiently swatted your hand away and gave you a look of disgust. “Gross,” he hissed as he broke eye contact with you, refusing to look at your face for another moment. You stopped walking, giving the middle blocker a death stare as he continued walking ahead. You were taking your shoe off when he suddenly turned around, catching you just as you were about to throw it at him. “Don’t you dare,” he warned.

Your shoulders slump in defeat as you put your shoe back on. You jogged a little to catch up with the volleyball player.

“I don’t think it really matters if you don’t come to the away games with us,” he said all of a sudden. “We already have Shimizu-senpai and Yachi-san. The two of them are more than enough.”

A new idea popped into your mind. “But think about it, four eyes!” you shouted in excitement. “Nekoma’s volleyball team doesn’t have a manager, right? Imagine how surprised and jealous they would be when they find out that Karasuno has not only one, not only two but three female managers! Not to mention three gorgeous, stunning, cute and charming managers!”

Tsukishima gave you a deadpan look. “Say that to Tanaka-san and I’m sure he’ll help you without hesitation.”

You knew this strategy would not work on him, but you had another idea up your sleeves. “How about a deal, four eyes?” you proposed as a smile tugged at the corner of your lips. He eyed you suspiciously, but said nothing, waiting for you to continue. “If you help me convince my mother, I’ll get you the signature of any female celebrity you ask for. Tsuchiya Tao, Nagano Mei, Hamabe Minami, Hirose Suzu, Hashimoto Kanna — anyone you name, I’ll get their signature for you!”

Once again, you were met with a bored look from the middle blocker. “I’m not into actresses,” he said.

“Okay, okay! What about models? Komatsu Nana? Mizuhara Kiko? Rola? Nanao?”

“Not interested.”

“What about bands?” you tried once again, “you like music, don’t you?”

“Listen, Queen,” he said with an impassive face, “I’m not doing it no matter what you try to bribe me with. It’s your own problem, so deal with it yourself.”

You let out a groan of frustration. “I hate you, four eyes. I really do.”

“The feeling’s mutual, Queen.”

As the two of you glared at each other, you soon reached your house. You were about to enter your home without bidding the boy goodbye, but before you could even reach for the door handle, the entrance opened, revealing your grandmother.

“[Y/N]-chan, welcome back!” she greeted you with a warm smile. Glancing behind you, she saw Tsukishima. “I see you walked home with Kei-chan again today! It’s great to see you two get along so well! Reminds me of when you two were younger,” she giggled. Tsukishima bowed politely and was about to go on his way when your grandmother stopped him. “Why don’t you come in for tea time, Kei-chan? I baked some cookies in return for the cake your mother made us last time!”

Tsukishima did not even get the chance to refuse, for your grandmother pulled both of you into the house.

For someone of her age and build, your grandmother sure was strong. In fact, her force was so strong that you and Tsukishima nearly tripped over each other. “Oops,” she said before she casually strolled into the kitchen as she hummed happily to herself, leaving you with Tsukishima by the doorway.

“Your grandmother scares me sometimes,” he mumbled under his breath, casting a glance in your direction as he took his shoes off.

You smirked. “Poor Kei-chan,” you cooed jokingly, his gaze quickly hardening into a glare. He tried to grab you, but you quickly dodged his attack and sprinted into the living room.

However, you stopped in your track once you laid eyes on your mother, sitting on the couch as she read through the newspaper. Tsukishima, who was chasing after you, crashed into you.

“What the fuck, Qu—”

You stomped on his feet before he could finish his sentence, making him yelp out loud in pain as curse words continue to fall out of his lips. Your blood ran cold as your mother looked up, her eyes meeting yours.

“Welcome home, [Y/N],” she said coldly. “And who’s this?”


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Tsukishima finally noticed your mother’s presence after she spoke. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he waited for you to introduce him.

But you stayed silent. You simply stood there as you stared at her, your face restrained.

“Uh, I’m Tsukishima Kei. I live next door and attend Karasuno High as well,” the blond said eventually.

A look of realisation drew on your mother’s face after hearing his name. “Oh! I remember you! You’re Kei-kun!” she said with an enthusiasm that you immediately recognised as what you would call her ‘business voice’. Folding the newspaper in half, she stood up from her seat and neared the two of you. “You have grown up to be a fine, young man!”

You let out a snort of disdain at her sudden change of attitude. One moment she was acting cold towards you, and the next she was pretending to be nice just because a guest had arrived. Your mother gave you another icy glance — a look that revealed her true feelings — before faking another ‘welcoming’ smile.

You felt Tsukishima’s gaze on you as he looked curiously between yourself and your mother.

“Come sit down, come sit down!” your mother said as she urged the middle blocker to take a seat on the couch. “[Y/N], go give your grandmother a hand in the kitchen,” she demanded.

You took this opportunity to escape the living room. You would take any excuse to get away from your mother.

You walked into the kitchen just as your grandmother started to pour the tea. “I’ll do it,” you said to her. She thanked you before she started serving the baked goods onto the plates. “Why is she home?” you asked.

“She only had a morning shift today,” your grandmother told you. You nodded. She would always already be at work by the time you woke up for school in the morning, and when you came home you would always lock yourself up in your room until it was time for dinner. Dinner was the only time you ever saw your mother nowadays, and even then, you kept interactions with her to a minimum.

Some might say you were acting immature for giving your mother a cold-shoulder. However, she was the one who decided to come all the way here to Miyagi, taking your life in Tokyo away from you, without ever asking for your opinion.

And you still despised her for doing so.

With your grandmother, the two of you returned to the living room with the afternoon tea in hand. As you walked in, your eyes met with Tsukishima’s, who looked very uncomfortable being left in a room with your mother.

After serving everyone, the four of you sat around the coffee table. Your grandmother and mother conversed, while Tsukishima and yourself ate your cookies without a word. You wanted to finish your food as soon as possible so you could go to your room as soon as possible, and judging by how quickly Tsukishima was scarfing down his cookies, you could tell he wanted to go home as quickly as he could as well.

As Tsukishima finished the last drop of tea in his cup and was about to excuse himself, your mother suddenly turned the conversation towards him. “So, Kei-kun, what class are you in?”

You watched as Tsukishima’s eyes slightly widened in surprise, before quickly composing himself once again. “I’m in class 4,” he answered.

“So you’re in college preparation class as well?” your mother asked. Tsukishima nodded in response. “You do look like you’re smart,” she commented. You rolled your eyes at her words. Here she goes again with judging someone by their looks. Unsure of how to respond, Tsukishima simply thanked her. “And are you in any school clubs?”

“I’m on the volleyball team,” he replied, stealing a glance at you, who was sitting next to him.

Your mother caught that little movement, but before she could comment on it, your grandmother stepped in. “Ah, yes! Kei-chan and [Y/N]-chan are teammates now!”

Turning her attention towards you, your mother quirked an eyebrow. “Since when do you play volleyball?”

“Manager,” was your short, one-worded answer. Just that one word from you made the atmosphere in the room turn stiff. You could feel Tsukishima shuffle uncomfortably in his seat, while your grandmother tried to lighten things up.

“I think [Y/N]-chan fits the role really well! And she has been working really hard too! Don’t you agree, Kei-chan?” your grandmother remarked. Tsukishima nodded wordlessly.

It was at this moment when you realised this was the perfect timing to ask your mother to sign the agreement form. Taking the sheet out of your school bag, you slide the paper across the coffee table. “Sign this.”

Your mother picked it up and quickly skimmed through the words. Not even a minute later, she put it down on the table and looked directly into your eyes. “No,” she said.

“Why?”

“I know you’re planning something,” she claimed.

“I’m not.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I know you like the back of my hand. You want to go back to Tokyo and find your father, don’t you? You’ll ask your friends to help you escape, give you a place to stay until you can get in touch with your father, don’t you? You think that’ll solve all your problems, don’t you? There’s no way I’m letting you go,” she snapped angrily, no longer trying to feign friendliness in front of the guest.

You froze in your seat. Your mother read you like a book. She knew everything that you had been planning in mind.

Your grandmother reached out and placed a hand on your mother’s shoulder. “Calm down,” she said, “I don’t think there’s any harm in letting her go.”

“No,” your mother hissed. “I’m her mother. My words are final. She’s not going.”

You jumped out of your seat, all eyes turning towards you at once. “You know what, mother? Fuck you!” you snarled, your choice of words causing your grandmother to gasp in horror. “I’m so sick and tired of not being able to make my own decisions and having to gain your approval for the smallest things!”

“I’m your mother — that’s why my permission is required,” she replied calmly, stating it in that ‘matter-of-tone’ voice that you loathed.

“You never treated me like I was your daughter! You’ve always treated me like I’m some sort of puppet, controlling every aspect of my life!” Your mother opened her mouth, ready to rebut, but you were not done yet. “Ever since I was little, I was forced to work, not getting to live a normal childhood! You’ve already taken my chance of being a carefree child away, and then without even asking me, you’ve decided to remove me from my perfect life just because of some factless accusations against papa! What about my opinion?! What about my thoughts?! Have you ever considered how I feel?! What I want?! Why is it that you adults have to be this selfish, saying bullshit like ‘we’re doing this for your own good’, ‘we know what’s best for you’, ‘you’re just a child, you don’t know anything’?! Why do I not get a say in this when this is my life?!”

From the corner of your eye, you caught sight of Tsukishima flinching at your sudden outburst. Your mother, on the other hand, kept her composer as she stared straight at you with cold, impassive eyes.

“Are you done yet?” she asked after a moment of silence.

That was the final straw. It was as clear as day that this woman in front of you did not love you — she never did.

“I fucking hate you,” you spat. And with those words, you stormed out of the room.


End file.
